Vipingo Ridge is one of Kenya's most sought after destinations for the high and mighty who live a reclusive lifestyle that is the dream of ordinary mortals.
Situated 25 kilometres from Mombasa, and a walking distance from the Indian Ocean, the idyllic setting offers a blazing display of bravura.
The exquisite ridge consists of five star residential suites, a clubhouse, beach club, watersports center and a state of the art golf course within the estate.
Vipingo has served as host to prominent personalities such as Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala, Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho, late billionaire businessman Chris Kirubi, First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi among others.
But the picturesque location only tells half the story. Inside the walls of the vast estate lies home to one of the founder members and chairman of Vipingo Ridge Limited, Alastair Cavenagh.
The name may ring a bell to the avid sports fans, where Cavenagh remains in the hallowed grounds in the motor cross-industry- clinching the Kenya champion on two occasions in 1999 and 2010.
Cavenagh's story dates back 54 years ago in Wales, United Kingdom, where he was born. Growing up in the UK, he started in the tea making business - working in Germany and Switzerland for almost a decade. He soon relocated to Kenya in 1994 in order to expand his tea making business.
Seeking fortunes in other ventures, Cavenagh resorted to selling petroleum products in the year 2000 under the company Dalbit Petroleum Limited where he worked as an executive director. The company mainly focused on importing and distributing petroleum products.
At the time, Cavenagh developed an interest in real estate- captured by the allure of estates situated along the beach.
"All we were looking for was a small piece of land, 300 acres for a golf course near the beach," he stated during a previous interview with The Standard.
He, along with a few other directors, ultimately found a 2,800-acre property near the beach that is up for sale. Seeking to develop a golf estate in the property, Cavenagh and his friends did not aspire that the idea would catapult the estate into an attractive site for settlement.
"Though golf has been a factor influencing settlement, many are attracted by the secure environment," he added.
He constructed his own mansion using a whopping Ksh21 million. He, however, states that the figure is one of the least amount spent on constructing the mansions within the estate.
A spot-check on Knight Frank's website, reveals that a four bedroomed house at the ridge can set you back Ksh40 million.
Various personalities have been attracted by the lure of the golf tournament while others prefer the serenity that is brought about by the quiet atmosphere.
Past owners of the mansions have revealed to the media that maintenance of the public amenities easily sets them back Ksh48,000 on a monthly basis.
"If we were living in a similar home in Nyali, I would still pay Ksh60,000 monthly for all the services, including security. It is a deal for me, maybe not for those buying property for prospecting purposes," one of the owners previously spoke to the media.
