Tycoon who sold supermarket chain to Naivas after his children showed lack of interest

Chris Musau, a Kenyan tycoon, is among the little-known billionaire entrepreneurs controlling the Kenyan economy.

The businessman came into the limelight in 2022 after he purchased the 680 Hotel in Nairobi Central Business District for a staggering Ksh1.2 billion, according to Business Daily.

Musau, whose investments span various sectors, is said to have started his entrepreneurship journey at a young age but chose to keep his businesses out of the limelight.

Born in 1954 in Tawa, Machakos county, Musau worked at his father’s shops and a transport company.

The Nairobi School alumnus later landed a job at a hides and skin company, where he rose to become a manager, earning Ksh28,000, Which was a substantial amount then.

At just 22, the businessman started investing in the lucrative real estate sector thanks to his business acumen.

With the help of family resources, local lenders, and personal savings, he purchased 10,000 acres that were being sold by a white landowner for Ksh280 per acre and resold them at a profit.

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“My friends thought I was going mad by trying to buy land in an area where it hardly rains. Others from affluent backgrounds were buying land in Ruiru, Limuru and other high-end neighbourhoods.”

“Few saw any business sense in buying land in Ukambani. In any case, I did not even have money for the “barren” land,” he recalled.

His investment grew with time to become a multimillion wealth, with most of his assets being in the hotel industry.

Reportedly, he is the proprietor of Maanzoni Lodge in Machakos, which was sometimes associated with his brother-in-law and the former Minister, the late Mutula Kilonzo.

He also owned Nova Supermarket chain in Machakos and Komarock, which he later sold to giant Naivas after children showed no interest in managing the business.

“None of my children were keen on taking over operations of Nova Supermarkets in Machakos and Komarock that saw me work for eight straight years starting at 6am to midnight daily,” he says.

In 2022, he went on to acquire 680 Hotel, a part of the Sentrim Hotel portfolio associated with billionaire investor Jagdesh Patel.

The hotel which was named after the number of beds it had when it opened its doors was the biggest moneymaker for Sentrim, raking in Sh213 million in 2018.