Kabogo: They call it arrogance, I call it principles

William Kabogo is now out of politics and fully engaged in business. He shares with EVE MOSONGO what he has been up to.

“The two things you won’t talk about are his wife and Ferdinand Waititu.” This was the condition I was given by his personal assistant if I wanted an interview.

Former Kiambu Governor William Kabogo is late for our interview – he had an earlier meeting. When he shows up -- casually dressed in a tee, jeans and a cap -- he orders hot water and honey and we get to it. The eloquent businessman’s responses are well thought out. And even though his morning is busy, he doesn’t rush through the interview.

A hands-on person – he handles his own social media – he actively uses platforms such as Twitter to share tidbits of his family, such as a congratulatory message to his niece who’s just graduated, his son’s haircut that went wrong, a photo of himself in his home. The former governor also uses social media to address issues that are near and dear to him. He’s not afraid to call out anyone who steps out of line.

Having lost the Kiambu governor’s seat to Ferdinand Waititu doesn’t mean that he is out of the game. Politics, he says, is a calling. He still has agendas that he’s pushing; ones that he says will uplift his county.

Many adjectives, including fearless, diligent and ambitious, can be used to describe this man who, once in a while, checks up on his former employees.

For everything that he’s ventured into, be it politics, or business, he takes calculated risks. The former governor stands by his word. He is firm in decision-making, a trait that has led to some calling him arrogant. During our sit down, he opens up about family, business, politics, the state of his county and Kenya by extension, and his future plans.

Do you think you are an arrogant person?

People at times say that I am arrogant. It is not arrogance, but firmness. There are those who don’t do some things because of fear of losing a seat. That is why we have problems in the Presidency. Normally, people are careful in the first term. They are afraid to make the hard decisions because they still want to be re-elected. If you knew you only had one term, you would make serious decisions. However, these next two years, I am hoping that the President will be able to make a good chunk of development because now I don’t think he has any other interest in politics.

Let‘s get politics out of the way then, why do you think you didn’t win back your political seat?.

If the work one did was rewarded, I’d still be governor, but there are those who never wanted me to come back because of fear. Mostly people reward sycophancy. They think of themselves and not the county. I don’t know how many years it will take Kenyans to realise that we need to elect people who can perform, not just anybody because they have more grey hair or how loud they can shout, or how they entertain crowds. Many counties have been marginalised. Leaders have no development growth, agenda or dream of where they want to take the county. They are just sitting there. If it is to ‘eat’ then they have good jobs. They have money, but if it is to taking their county to the next level, they have a very hard job.

What is the most absurd thing you ever heard?

Remember the case of (Josephine) Kabura of the NYS scandal? They said that she took Sh200 million from the bank. Do you know how many kilos that is? A million shillings is about three kilos. How was she able to carry 600 kilos?

At what age did you make your first million?

(Laughs) A long time ago. I was around 27 or 28.

How did you know what to invest in?

Sometimes a stroke of luck is important, and being at the right place at the right time. When I started selling cars – importing cars and selling them – that was a restricted business. It was an opportunity I found because I knew a few people at the right places. I could easily get import license letters, of course even then corruption was slightly there, but we managed to sell cars at a good rate in terms of turnover. I remember I could import up to 100 cars (at a go). At the time I could sell a car for Sh100 000, that was like Sh10 million in those days.

Is what you studied applicable in your current ventures?

At times what you study is not what you do. I was lucky that I studied commerce. That helps me in business, in understanding economics of scale, and finding opportunities to exploit. In every business there has to be a gap that needs to be filled and by doing so you connect the left and the right.

Betting is now a way to make money. Would you bet?

Sadly, we have changed Kenya into a betting country. In every other village, boys and girls are talking of nothing other than betting. Some of them wanashikia their mothers knives for 100 bob just to go and bet. If I were the president, I would either stop it or make sure that 60 per cent of that money goes to the government in taxes.

What would you tell the youth trying to make it in Kenya?

It is going to be difficult because of the way the nation is, the struggles that are here and corruption. People have gone to school, they have the degrees but they are not working. There is a big problem, but it is possible to earn a genuine living and become a rich person through honest business. 

You knew that you wanted to join politics in early 2000s.  What inspired you?

In August 2002, four months to the general elections, Mzee Moi, as he was retiring, from the KANU perspective, had already shown interest to hand over to Uhuru Kenyatta, who was young and energetic. Being that myself, I felt duty-bound to use that energy to bring new blood into politics.

Before then, what were you doing?

I was doing business in Mombasa. I also had some business here (Nairobi). Business is still a core of mine; politics is just a hobby. A call to serve a nation.

Are you a religious person?

Yes, I am a Christian, brought up in a Christian family and the church – I am not a preacher but I know my Bible.

What values do you believe in?

Love, peace and honesty.

Are you’re raising your three children the way you were raised?

I’d have loved to bring them up the same way but times are different. During my time, the digital platform wasn’t there. Neither was social media. Really, to do what my father did while bringing us up would be difficult. However, discipline is important.

Do any of them want to join politics?

I don’t know. If they do, good for them, if they don’t, good for them too. They choose their careers. I don’t want them to blame me saying, ‘Daddy, you are the one who told me ati this is what I should do.’ I brought one from Britain who’d graduated and started working in a bank. He didn’t even finish a year. He said it was boring and that earning Ksh80 000 or Ksh100 000 was very little, so he wanted to do business. You can’t force them.

Looking back, is there a part of your life, if given chance, you’d want to redo?

No, I don’t think there is anything. If it is my business, I am fine. In politics, I would do the same things I did – even if I became governor again or president, I would not change my standing because I believe in doing the right things. Mostly that will get you in trouble because you are not playing populism. You cannot develop a nation, make hard decisions and become popular. The hardest decisions made are the ones that have brought this world to where it is. How can I be governor and bury people with my own vehicles or dish out bread (to everyone) and expect them to learn to do it by themselves?

What were your highest points as the governor of Kiambu?

We put 40 per cent of our budget in those four years into health. We started many health centres; 25 neo-natal health care hospitals. The first container hospitals were done in Kiambu – Ksh2.5 million per container. People all over said we were spending too much money. The ones still in Mombasa, which cost Ksh10 million a container, did nothing. We did a lot. We built four new Level Four hospitals, which I left 70 percent complete. I hope these guys finish them. We did a new Level Five post-natal care facility in Thika – six floors, 375 beds at a cost of Ksh850 million. Where else in the country has that happened, even by the national government?

What is the state of Kiambu at the moment?

What we worked to build in four years was destroyed in just a year. To recover and take it back to where it was by the time we left, will probably take six or seven years. You cannot develop a nation on your own. It is developed by its people through taxes and levies. Why would revenue collection drop from Ksh2.7 billion back to Ksh700 million?

What other venture are you pursuing?

Now we are in construction of home and selling. There is a high demand for middle class housing. You don’t have to have money… If you have land you can as well use people’s money to build, as we are doing. We become middlemen. You can pull money from people and they can pay off plan. By the time you’ve done half the project, it is fully financed.  

What would you say is your best quality?

I’d say honesty. To start with, be honest with yourself. And, if you believe in love, the one in the Bible and not the greed of our hearts, you will definitely prosper. You don’t have to oppress other people to move up the ladder.

As an ambitious person, what’s the one thing that continues to elude you?

Making Kenya a middle economy country; knowing that everyone who wants to work has something to do and is able to feed themselves.

From the top of your head, if you were to have a drink with anyone, dead or alive, who’d it be?

I do drinks with anyone – in kiosks or at the five-star hotels – but right now, it’d be the CID director. He needs to be told a few things. Arresting people and taking them to court does not result in jail terms.

In 2022, are you looking to reclaim the governor’s seat or aiming for a bigger position?

One step at a time. Right now I am not thinking of elections, but what I need to do for myself. I am still doing business, at the same time keeping an eye on politics – once you’re in it, you’re in it forever.  Even at 90, Moi was speaking on it and giving his two cents. I don’t know where we will be or what we will be targeting in 2022, but something will happen.