The Story of Form Four Leaver Running Ksh3B Company

Photo of the real estate apartments owned by Cheriez Properties Limited in Kitengela.
Photo of the real estate apartments owned by Cheriez Properties Limited in Kitengela.
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Cheriez Properties Limited

When Leah Wambui finished high school, her dream of joining campus could not materialize as she was unable to raise the requisite school fees for any degree program. At that point, she believed that all was lost. 

Wambui, who had been orphaned at the age of 16, then opted to look for work, landing a receptionist job through the help of a relative. Little did she know that her job would change her life forever.

In a recent interview with a popular vlogger, the Form Four leaver revealed that she quit her job stating that she had the desire of having a better life. She expressed that the salary of a receptionist was something she could not settle for.

Undated image of businesswoman Leah Wambui
Undated image of businesswoman Leah Wambui.
Kilson Business Consultants

It was with that burning desire that the Wambui decided to start her first business, a liquor store in Kiambu, with the help of a maternal aunt, a person she reveals nurtured her entrepreneurial skills.

Over the years, Wambui juggled through her business and finally had a breakthrough in 2015 when she bought a five-acre piece of land in Kitengela. That was the beginning of Cheriez Properties Limited, a real estate company that boasts of 200 houses with each unit going for Ksh15 million. 

As she narrated her life journey, Wambui divulged that acquiring the land took a lot of sacrifice, stating that she had to take risks many people wouldn't dare.

"I sold my house with my husband's blessing and decided to use some of the little savings that we had managed to raise. Our plan was to start with 10 houses," she disclosed.

Despite having a well-thought-out plan, things did not go her way, with the entrepreneur stating that the projects stalled in 2016 after failing to find occupants for the houses.

"We had our first show house and we invited people to come. I thought that the moment we had the show house we would get clients. I got into a rude shock. People came but most of them were friends and relatives and not the actual buyers," she divulged.

The real estate guru further revealed that her attempts to find a buyer proved futile, with the form leaver turning her attention to international clients, a move that did not bear fruit either.

On the verge of giving up, Wambui finally received an offer for one of the houses expressing that was the beginning of her multi-million real estate empire. 

Despite making major milestones in the industry, Wambui stated that it was not a walk in the park. She revealed that she had to sack all her employees at some point because of numerous incidents of theft.

“This is a project that taught me a lot. There is a day I woke up and relieved everybody of their duties because the syndicate of theft was too much. I would ship tiles and they would bring trucks at night to take the tiles. The project manager would also collude with contractors and inflate their invoices,” she disclosed.

The young entrepreneur went ahead to state that she had no regret for venturing into real estate further urging the youth to go for their dreams.

"If there are no opportunities, create those opportunities. We have to believe that we have all it takes to do what other people have done. People dreamt when they looked at the birds and finally, they invented the plane," Wambui stated.

Undated image of a section of propertied owned by Cheriez Properties Limited in Kitengela.
Undated image of a section of propertied owned by Cheriez Properties Limited in Kitengela.
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Royal Finesse Estate