The journey to the reclusive billionaires' club is not without its fair share of hardships and trials, with some of the most successful persons spending years to build their empires. Some of these billionaires started in less coveted careers.
This is the case of businessman cum politician, John Harun Mwau, who once served as a police officer in his 20s. While in the police force, Mwau participated in the Olympic Games as a rifle shooter in 1968 and as a pistol shooter in 1972.
So talented was Mwau in the sport that he was christened, "the Boss". It is reported that he enjoyed using a sharpshooter rifle while on duty due to his preference for long-range shooting competitions.
Mwau later joined politics, founding the Party of Independent Candidates of Kenya (PICK) and unsuccessfully vying for the Presidential seat in the 1992 General Election. His attempt at the Presidency saw him receive 0.15 per cent of the total votes cast (10,499).
The election, held on December 29, 1992, was won by Kenya African National Union (KANU) party candidate, the late Daniel Arap Moi, who received 36.3 per cent of the total votes cast.
After the election, the businessman filed a petition at the High Court arguing that he was the only legitimate candidate as his competitors had not presented the list of supporters nominating them using the correct paper size.
The case, however, was dismissed.
He would later contest for the Kilome Parliamentary seat which he held up to 2013.
After his parliamentary term, he sought the Makueni senatorial seat following the demise of Mutula Kilonzo. He, however, lost to Mutula Kilonzo Jr in the 2013 by-election.
Mutula Kilonzo Jr garnered 163, 232 votes against Mwau's 6,431.
Mwau is also the father-in-law to former Kiambu Governor, William Kabogo. The former Kiambu boss is married to the businessman's daughter, Philomena Kabogo.
