LIST OF KENYAN BILLIONAIRES WITH NO UNIVERSITY DEGREE

It’s no secret that education has been regarded as the key to success since time immemorial. People spend decades in schools and colleges to acquire degrees and with the hope of living a better life in future.

But at the same time, the tale of non-degree holders including tech moguls such as Microsoft CEO Bill Gates and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg have become folklore by this point, which has seen a crop of new influential executives rise to the top without finishing university.


Challyhnews takes a look at these CEOs who have defied odds to lead multi-million shilling companies and become forces to reckon in different sectors of the economy.

Leah Wambui
Leah Wambui embodies the tale of grass to grace, after she rose from being orphaned at the age of 16 to become the owner of a Ksh3 billion company.


At the time, she was unable to join university due to lack of fees-however, this did not deter her zeal to become successful. Starting out as a receptionist, Wambui later quit the job and used her savings to start a small liquor store in Kiambu County. Over the years, she ventured into the real estate, buying a five-acre piece of land in Kitengela which birthed her company, Cheriez Properties Limited.

Through ups and downs, with many clients alienating her and numerous cases of theft from employees, Wambui was able to break even and stabilize the company. Currently, the firm boasts of 200 houses with each unit going for an average of Ksh15 million.

Sunny Varkey
Varkey is one of the few billionaires who made his fortunes by investing in education despite not graduating with a college degree.

Varkey’s parents, who were Indian teachers, migrated to Dubai in 1959 and established Our Own English School

which offered English language education in the Arab country.

By the age of 23, Varkey took over the management of the school in 1980 after just completing secondary education.
The school then expanded to GEMS educations schools- which currently owns over 80 schools. The school recently managed Hillcrest International school before it was acquired by Braeburn schools.

According to Forbes in March 2019, Varkey’s net-worth was estimated at Ksh272 billion. The business mogul is also lauded for establishing the prestigious Global Teacher Prize Award.

Ronald Karauri
Ronald Karauri is the name synonymous with gaming company, Sportpesa.Born in Meru County, Karauri moved to Nairobi due to his father’s political ambitions and ultimately went to Harambee primary school in Buruburu.

He later joined Mang’u High School from where he scored top grades in KCSE. Karauri later enrolled at the University of Nairobi, pursuing a Degree in Mechanical engineering.

However, at the time an opportunity at Kenya Airways opened up- a slot that Karauri did not let pass by. He revealed at a past media interview that he dropped out in his third year in order to become a trained pilot.

After working at KQ for 11 years, he later took over the management ofSportpesaas CEO from its founder Guerassim Nikolov.

Narendra Raval
Billionaire industrialist Narendra Raval has amassed wealth in his tenure as he is the founder of Devki Group of Companies- which manufactures steel products, cement and roofing sheets.

According to Forbes, Raval’s company earns an annual revenue of over Ksh65 billion. In 2015, he was featured among 50 richest men in Africa with a net value of Ksh40 billion.

Speaking during a past interview with the media, he however revealed that he had not attended any college or university due to his humble background.

He detailed that at the time he couldn’t afford shoes to attend school. Raval was born in 1962 at a village in India before migrating to Kenya in 1978 at the age of 16 in order to work as a temple tutor.

Sourced from Kenyans

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