Written By Philip Etemesi
She’s currently the most popular female musician in Kenya. Before her collaborations with likes of Tanzanian superstar Diamond Platnumz and Nigerian showbiz playboy Flavour, people were coy when it came to embracing her. Then she proved to everyone that she was influential enough to get big acts to do verses in her music and people began taking her seriously.
Akothee is now a household name, not just because of her music but because of her business ventures as well. A lot of people had previously questioned the source of her wealth but she came clean stating that financial boosts from her former lovers propelled her to where she is today. Despite having little education, she was smart enough to invest most of the money she was given. Now she boasts of a multimillion shilling empire
First, the singer dated a Swedish man who she met while doing a day job as a taxi driver. He took her to live with him In Sweden but things didn’t work out so she came back home and started her own taxi business. Apparently, she had saved most of the money her lover had given her while in Europe hence she didn’t need to borrow. As her business soared, she met with a number of influential people, mostly tourists. One of them happened to be the French ambassador to Djibouti. They fell in love and he kept showering her with lavish gifts. At one point, just before their relationship ended, he sent her a whooping Sh 80 million, most of which she channeled to investments
“The French ambassador was truly loaded. He frequently showered me with gifts and cash, which I put to good use. On one of my birthdays, he bought me a Toyota Prado. He’s the father of my last born son but we are now separated”, says Akothee
The singer now owns Akothee Safaris, a flourishing Tours and Travel company, Morning Star Diani, a hotel that provides5-star services at cheap rates and a real estate firm called Akothee & Properties. A lot of money has been used to invest in her career as well as collaborations with the big names that gave her recognition didn’t come for free
See Also: How Maina Kageni Makes His Money And Builds His Brand
It’s common for women to get financial gifts from the men that they are dating or married to. Dating and relationships are comprised of a balance of power. Men use money to get the woman they want. While women, knowingly or unknowingly, use their femininity and allure to reel in the man of their dreams. Unfortunately most of these women never do anything important with the money. They simply spend everything and live lavish lifestyles and when the relationship is over, they’re left with nothing to show.
When a woman gets a high flying man, it’s referred to as ‘hitting the jackpot’. This is because the man will spend a lot of money on her without her having to give anything in return except show affection. A lot of women fail to take advantage of the ‘relationship jackpot’ to grow their businesses like Akothee did. I am not trying to teach women to be gold diggers but smart investors. As a man I would be proud seeing a woman doing something special with the money I give her rather than just spending it all.
Not all men can afford to dish out 80 million to please a woman but even the little 5Ks and 20Ks are enough to start a small business
Relationships can be short-lived. In a country where we don’t have pre-naps and tough laws on division of wealth during instances of divorce or separation women need to be smart enough to invest most of the money they get from their lovers – the Akothee way. At the end of the day, everyone stays happy, not bitter or feeling inferior.
