Tharaka-Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki, on Friday, May 5, recounted how he made his first Ksh1 million and proceeded to make Ksh5 million monthly in the early 2000s.
The governor addressed the youth at a forum where he motivated them to use technology to exploit business opportunities.
“I was paid mad money. It was the first time I saw a million (shillings) intact before me.
“Within a few months, I was being paid up to Ksh5 million per month until I ran away from teaching. I got too much money such that I almost got confused,” he told the crowd.
He told the audience he was employed as a teacher when Kencell, one of the first telecommunication companies in Kenya, set up shop.
Njuki was recruited among sales representatives tasked with selling the firm's telecommunication business.
“I may not have been directly involved in interacting with the real technology, but I was involved in selling it. I was not selling mobile phones. I was selling the space that mobile phones use.
“Today if you put on a mobile phone and there is no network, it becomes as useless as a piece of stone. That space in the mobile phone that makes you switch it on is what I was selling that time, 23 years ago,” he added.
Due to his prowess in sales, he earned higher bonuses to the point of leaving his teaching career to focus on the sales role.
Through his sales earnings, he transitioned from an employee to an employer.
The technology boom enabled him to start his own business, employing 120 people.
“I was at the right place at the right time. I want to tell you it is possible for you to be somewhere in the future,” he encouraged the youth.
Muthomi Njuki is the second and incumbent governor of Tharaka Nithi County and was elected on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party ticket. Prior to that, he was the Member of Parliament for Chuka-Igambang’ombe from 2013 to 2017.
