KNCCI-Chamber President Richard Ngatia has for a long time been a man behind President Uhuru Kenyatta in his rise in power.
According to a source who spoke to Kenyans.co.ke on December 18, Ngatia prefers to keep his life away from the public eye, and is part of President Uhuru Kenyatta's inner circle.
“Ngatia’s closeness to power manifested itself in a great way in May 2019, when he managed to clinch the highly contested Kenya National Chambers of Commerce presidency.
“He trounced over all his opponents. Many contestants read an underhand of State House in ensuring Ngatia took the post which he was ready to use in raising Kenya’s trade balances with other countries,” remarked the source close to Ngatia.
In the contest, Ngatia managed to convince almost 40 out of 47 chairpersons of the KNCCI county branches for support, which made his contestants pull out and he claimed the seat unopposed.
In an article by The Standard in 2018, Ngatia was mentioned as one of the seven close friends in Kenyatta’s circle who even hosted the president at his home and at his high-end Galileo Lounge in Westlands, Nairobi.
Our source further indicated that the two still meet privately for social engagements together with other members of his ‘boys club’ that is mainly made up of wealthy entrepreneurs.
Among them is businessman Peter Muthoka, Energy Principal Secretary Joseph Njoroge, former Jubilee official David Murathe, Paul Ndung’u among others.
In June 2017, Ngatia was among the few businessmen who took place in a fundraiser meant to fund President Kenyatta’s re-election campaign.
Ngatia, who owns Megascope Healthcare, reportedly earned billions of shillings after winning a tender for the supply of theatre equipment to all county hospitals in the country.
Ngatia was sworn as KNCCI-Chamber president in June 2019, replacing Kiprono Kittony.
He has for long been mentioned as an influencer who had been able to traverse different counties before taking on the top seat, creating links with global leaders and business magnates.
“I assume this office with humility and I thank all those who bestowed confidence in my leadership and I promise to work with you to develop business and see our country develop,” remarked Ngatia in his acceptance speech as quoted by The Standard.
Ngatia also indicated that his priority was to establish linkages and would ensure that businesses have a conducive environment for entrepreneurship to thrive.
