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I will be running for presidency in 2017 - Magic Steve

Swimming
 Hon. Steve Mbogo AKA Magic Steve

Pulse: You were ranked as one of the richest men under 30 on the Forbes list last year. How much are you worth?

Steve Mbogo: For now I would not want to disclose that. I believe my riches are in my heart. When I was young I was taught not to make money but to be happy.

P: So are you happy?

SM: Yes, so far, but I’ll be happier when real change comes in Kenya. I would like Kenyans to be happy like the citizens of Dubai. We need a country where our differences are a source of inspiration, not division.

P: How do you make your money?

SM: I do commodity trading in petroleum products, mining, export and imports. I am also a real estate developer and at the moment we are working on low-cost housing with 3,000 apartments that even youths earning Sh10,000 can afford to own through mortgages. We did a pilot project in India with 3,600 apartments and it was a success. I’m also in the aviation business where I own a few planes.

P: That’s quite an impressive portfolio. How did you get there?

SM: I started making money at the age of 16. My mother was a single parent and she couldn’t afford my fees so I started selling scrap metal to get fees. I approached street children who collected the scrap to bring to me and I found a buyer. From there, I started selling electronics here and there, motor vehicle parts then when I got a scholarship and went to Cairo I was the first person to bring in shisha bongs and flavours. I also imported twin SIM phones and motorbikes around 2006 and 2007.

P: Are you just that lucky?

Steve: You have to think ahead and work hard. I made smart investments when I was young and after I made my money I moved to the next business.

P: You have a somewhat close friendship with Daymond John from way back and Barbara Corcoran. Is it true you were in New York recently with them?

SM: I met them in New York after the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Kenya to discuss funding of youth projects.

P: You were quite a wild child in your younger days. Is it a reflection of your personality considering the party you threw at your Karen residence for university leaders early this year?

SM: I wasted a lot of time drinking and partying but I finished and I don’t drink or go out anymore. I wish I could go back five years back to maximize my energy 30 to 40 times because I wasted time. That was our party celebration after we launched last year.

P: Your party ‘Party of New Alliance’ (Pona) has a large youth following including controversial SONU Chairman Babu Owino. Does this work in your favour?

SM: I work with all university leaders and our objective is to unite all students including leaders and youths at large to change their mind-set. For Vision 2030 to become to reality, the youth must believe in it because the future depends on them. I work closely with Babu because he’s the party deputy leader.

P: Will you be running for the 2017 presidency?

SM: Yes, being a party leader I have to.

P: Politics is a dirty game. Have you been under threat?

SM: Critics are normal and I believe it’s only the tree with no fruits that people don’t throw stones at. We receive criticism and threats but it’s part of success. It happens even in business.

P: Are you married or in a relationship?

SM: I’m single, but I have a two-year-old son, Peter Mbogo, who lives with his mother in Italy.

P: How is that arrangement working out?

SM: Italy is like my second home as I have property there. I visit at least once a month and they come over as well.

P: How do you give back to society?

SM: I really focus on kids because they have been abandoned. It’s sad when a kid is held up in hospital for a Sh20,000 bill then they get ill again because of their surroundings. My dream in five years is to take care of kids affected not just by cancer but other diseases. I am a patron of Colour My World at Kenyatta Hospital with close to 400 beneficiaries, all kids with cancer. The other week I bought 40 computers and built classrooms for children in a home in Kitengela called Ammarita. Every fortnight we feed all the children in the nearby slum.

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