Chris Kirubi was many things to many people. A father, chairman, leader, golf partner, consummate businessman, DJ, risk-taker, opinion leader et al.
To me, he was both a friend and mentor.
He embraced all these roles with gusto and was in every sense of the word truly a man of the world.
My relationship with Chris flourished when I undertook the responsibility of reviving the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce & Industry in 2012. He invited me to his plush offices at International House and went on to give me a detailed history of commerce in post-independence Kenya.
From that day on, he became my number one cheerleader, never shying away from taking strong positions in support of Kenya's business. In typical Chris fashion, he also took time to show off his upcoming Two Rivers project, almost bringing the architectural model to life by his sheer enthusiasm.
In the ensuing years from 2012 to 2019, Chris and I got to travel to far-flung corners of the world for trade missions, often accompanying presidential state entourages.
I could write a whole book about this, but let me focus on four attributes.
Firstly, he was fearless and bold and held his opinion strongly.
Chris never shied away from saying it as it is. Some of the memorable moments include while attending the highly choreographed Presidential private sector round table, Chris interjected and boldly informed the President that one of his ministers was corrupt.
There was pin-drop silence in the room. Suffice to say that said minister was soon after in the revolving doors on the way out of Government. He spoke truth to power in a way no other business personality has had the audacity or wherewithal to sustain.
His departure leaves a huge vacuum in Kenya’s private sector. On another occasion in Paris, France, in the boardroom of Medev, as we showcased Kenya as an investment destination, Chris, when asked to make a presentation, spent a long 10 minutes bragging about his businesses and his own prowess, much to the chagrin of high-level government officials.
When I asked him afterwards why he did that, he curtly responded “watch the result”. True to his word, at the end of the meeting Chris was surrounded by a bevy of French businessmen to whom he dished out his pompous black and gold cards and granted them a chance to meet him at his hotel the next day.
I later learnt he had a young team of interns from Centum on the ready to process the leads and he promptly threw them to the deep end with the words “I have made my money, let’s see what you can do with this”.
On a third occasion during the state visit of President Goodluck Jonathan accompanied by heavy-hitting Nigerian business moguls like the legendary Aliko Dangote, whom I hosted to a business forum at The Intercontinental.
I introduced Chris to Dangote and he came accompanied by a press team from his media house—Capital FM.
He immediately wrapped his hand on Dangote’s shoulder as one would an old friend and within five minutes they were in front of a camera with Chris starting his presentation with the words “we, the billionaires of Africa” as Dangote rolled his eyes beside him. Suffice it to say I never saw Dangote over the next two days of the visit.
Chris was bold and fearless, and modesty was not his cup of tea. Secondly, Chris was fiercely and proudly Kenyan and Pan African. He never lost a moment to promote and upsell Kenya and Africa as an investment decision. His choice of words in forums was always unique and strong.
His personal sense of style was extravagant and brash, always resplendent in suits from the finest fabrics of the world’s best designers, lovely cars to boot and the finest watches. It was difficult to fail to notice Chris and since his death, many business people whom we interacted with from across the globe have sent messages.
Charles Mbire, the chairman of MTN Uganda, reminded me that Chris taught him the important lesson that it’s better to own “small of big” than “big of small”. The third quality about Chris is that he was fun-loving. Despite being a consummate boardroom operator, Chris never lost the chance to have fun. His party-loving nature was legendary, as was the company he preferred to keep.
Age was no hindrance and until his illness got the better of him, it was common to see Chris cruising around Nairobi in his sports cars. He was socially dynamic and versatile, easily shifting from the conservative lounges of Karen Club to leading nightclubs in the city. During our travels, there was never a dull moment with Chris as the evenings would always be filled with fun in restaurants and clubs.
In most of the world’s leading capitals, he was on a first-name basis with the owners and staff of several establishments who will miss this swashbuckling man of the world. The final attribute I noted about Chris is that he was highly determined and focused on the ability to identify and develop talent. I believe that one day this will be a topic of case studies.
James Mworia and Polycarp Igathe come to mind as some of the brilliant people he entrusted his enterprises to. Chris was the ultimate networker and he leaves an incredible database of contacts across the globe. Chris has left us, but his memories live on. He was a unique man who accomplished much. Farewell, my friend, sui generis, one of a kind, Chris Kirubi.
The author is the chairman of the Nairobi Securities Exchange
