For 85 years that former Minister of Transport, Kenneth Matiba, was alive, he straddled in both the murky world of politics and business that demanded a sharp focus.
Unlike many wealthy politicians, Matiba’s acquired his property before he joined politics but the decision to run for office in 1978 almost left him bankrupt.
Born in 1932, the political enigma rose through the ranks to serve as a senior civil servant at just 31 years of age, which was a hard feat to pull off at the time.
Between joining the senior echelons of civil service and when he attained 46 years, the former businessman had attained an impressive portfolio with properties including Alliance Group of Hotels and Alliance Jadini Hotel.
Other properties were Alliance Safari Beach, Alliance Africana Sea Lodge, Alliance Naro Moru Lodge as well as the Hillcrest Group of Schools.
As the success grew, so did the tycoon's ambitions. Soon after, he received an appointment to head of the Kenya Tourist Development Corporation (KTDC).
He began acquiring additional hotel properties including Brunners which was located opposite the iconic 680 Hotel in Nairobi CBD. Later, he acquired Jadini Hotel which would prove a tough nut to crack in profitability terms.
At some point, the business was tough to manage, forcing him to fire all its staff and later on employ his own amidst renovations. It was later reopened by then President, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta.
“Jadini was a real headache… the management there acted as if they were the real owners of the hotel,” stated the then businessman.
After amassing enough wealth enough to accord him luxury cars, Matiba decided to take a shot at politics and the whole experience was a spectacle.
It was reported extensively at the time that the then Mbiri MP aspirant, currently Kiharu Constituency, had a long convoy of cars during his campaigns that could cover one kilometre in one go.
He lost the 1978 election but clinched the seat in 1983. At the time, he doubled up as the Minister of Transport and Communications before resigning in 1988. This was the beginning of his troubles.
When he part ways with the state in 1989, then government under President, Daniel Arap Moi, went after him, including cancelling his meetings and frustrating his presidential bid. Matiba joined the team of politicians who were championing a multi-party system.
In 1990, he was arrested and detained at Kamiti Maximum Prison without trial and was tortured until he suffered a stroke, which affected him all through into old age.
By 1992, his hotels were making losses and were grappling with debt, leading to a fallout with some of his business partners. Banks too demanded to seize the property over debts that had ballooned to over Ksh1 billion.
A few years later, some properties like Hillcrest School were disposed and at some point, he was only wealthy in assets but cash-bankrupt.
At the time of his demise in April 2018, Matiba’s family had managed to salvage some of his property and were then being managed by his wife, Edith Wanjiru.
The properties were valued at Ksh732 million and they included pieces of land valued at Ksh500 million as well as shares at East African Breweries Ltd (EABL) and Carbacid among others.
