Esther Muchemi

Last updated

Esther Muchemi
Born
NationalityKenyan
CitizenshipKenyan
Alma mater University of Nairobi
(Bachelor of Commerce)
Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya
(Certified Public Accountant)
Occupation(s) Accountant, Businesswoman and Corporate Executive
Years active1981 — present
Known forLeadership
Title Executive Director & Group CEO of Samchi Group of Companies

Esther Muchemi, accountant, businesswoman, entrepreneur and corporate executive in Kenya, who serves as the group chief executive officer of the Samchi Group of Companies, a diverse Kenyan conglomerate, whose companies span telecommunications, microfinance, hospitality, real estate, restaurants and ICT. [1]

Contents

Background

Muchemi was born in Kenya and attended local schools for her primary and secondary education. She graduated from the University of Nairobi with a Bachelor of Commerce degree. She then trained as an accountant and practiced as an auditor for twenty years, before striking out as an entrepreneur, on her own. [2] [3] She is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), with the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya. [4]

Career

For a period of 16 years, dating back to 1984, she was employed in the accounting industry as an auditor. In 2000, she quit her regular employment and opened a retail shop on Koinange Street, in downtown Nairobi, Kenya's capital city, selling Safaricom sim-cards and airtime. [3] Over the years she slowly expanded her empire into an investment group with nearly a dozen businesses. [1]

Samchi Group

Muchemi organizes her businesses under the umbrella known as the Samchi Group of Companies'. The group includes: (a) Samchi Telecommunications Limited (b) Jumbo Communications Limited (c) Forward Airtime Limited and (d) Mergut Limited. These first four are all in the telecommunications sector. [1]

Other companies in the group are: (e) Samchi Credit Limited, a microfinance company (f) Samchi Heights Limited, a real estate development company (g) After 40 Hotel Limited, located along Biashara Street in Nairobi (h) El-Roi Plaza, a shopping arcade located along Tom Mboya Street in Nairobi (i) Heavenly Wings Limited, a restaurant within El-Roi Plaza and (j) a virtual office company called Space International Limited. [1] In 2018, the Samchi Group employed a total of 560 individuals. [1]

Other considerations

In 2017, Muchemi was the recipient of the 2017 Global Inspirational Women Leadership Award, awarded by the Centre for Economic and Leadership Development. She received the award at The 2017 South America–Africa–Middle East–Asia Women Summit, held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. [1] In the same year, she was inducted into Amazon’s 100 Global Women Leaders Hall of Fame. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chase Bank Kenya</span> Commercial bank in Kenya

Chase Bank Kenya Limited(CBK), commonly referred to as Chase Bank, was a commercial bank in Kenya, licensed by the Central Bank of Kenya, the central bank and national banking regulator.

Edigold Monday, a Ugandan accountant, businesswoman, bank executive, and educator. She is the Uganda Country Director of Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe's foundation for international cooperation ., since December 2018.

Emma Miloyo is a Kenyan architect, who was reported, in 2017, to be the first woman president of the Architectural Association of Kenya. She serves as the first female president of the Architectural Association of Kenya since 2017. In October 2016, Archinect.com listed her among the five Emerging Female Architects of East Africa, in African Great Lakes region countries.

Esther Muthoni Passaris OGW is a Kenyan politician, social entrepreneur and philanthropist. She is the Nairobi County woman representative in the bicameral Kenyan parliament, and a member of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Political Party.

Old Mutual East Africa Group is a financial services conglomerate that maintains its headquarters in Kenya, with subsidiaries in Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Kellen Eileen Kariuki is an accountant, businesswoman and corporate executive in Kenya. Since January 2015, she is the executive director and CEO of the Unclaimed Financial Assets Authority (UFAA), an agency of the central government of Kenya. The government agency, created by Act of parliament in 2011, collects unclaimed funds in the financial system, including un-cashed checks, unclaimed insurance proceeds, cash in dormant bank accounts and money in similar situations in financial institutions. The UFAA then attempts to re-unite the funds with their rightful owners or heirs, upon proper identification. In the meantime, the UFAA invests the money on behalf of the owners, to keep up with inflation.

Agnes Nangila Odhiambo, is an accountant, financial manager and civil servant in Kenya, who was appointed as chairperson of the National Transport and Safety Authority of Kenya, a parastatal responsible for monitoring and regulating the use of public and private transport in the country. She was appointed on 15 May 2020, for a three-year term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sylvia Mulinge</span> Kenyan businesswoman and corporate executive

Sylvia Wairimu Mulinge, is a Kenyan businesswoman and corporate executive. Since 1 October 2022, she has served as the chief executive officer of MTN Uganda, replacing Wim Vanhelleputte, who was promoted to regional executive responsible for operations in Congo-Brazzaville, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea-Conakry and Liberia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esther Koimett</span> Kenyan investment banker (born 1957)

Esther Koimett, is a Kenyan public-servant experienced in investment promotion, banking, privatisation, public enterprise and public policy. She is presently the Principal Secretary State Department Of Broadcasting And Telecommunication, Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs following her appointment by former president Uhuru Kenyatta in January 2020 . Prior to her appointment in the ICT docket, Esther served as the Principal Secretary, State Department for Transport, Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure,Housing, Urban Development & Public Works since her appointment in August, 2018.

Naomi Rono, is a Kenyan public policy professional and development economist, who works as a Senior Adviser in the Office of the executive director at World Bank Group, based in Washington, DC.

Jennifer Riria, is a Kenyan businesswoman, corporate executive, banker, and academic who serves as the group chief executive officer of Kenya Women Holding Group, a microfinance, banking and insurance group serving nearly one million mostly rural Kenyan women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wawira Njiru</span> Kenyan entrepreneur, nutritionist, and philanthropist

Wawira Njiru, is a Kenyan entrepreneur, nutritionist, and philanthropist, who serves as the executive director of Food for Education, an organization that serves a hot, nutritious and affordable school meal to over 33,000 public primary school children in the urban and peri-urban areas of Kiambu, Nairobi and Mombasacounties.

Esther Ndeti, is a Kenyan mechanical engineer, businesswoman and corporate executive, who serves an executive director of the East Africa Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (EAVCA), based in Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, effective 14 January 2017. Prior to her current position, she served as the regional coordinator for the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE).

Karen Njeri Kandie,, but commonly known as Karen Kandie, is a Kenyan accountant and business executive, who serves as Director, Parastatal Reforms(Financial) at the Kenya National Treasury. She is also widely known as the worlds greatest mother. Prior to this, she was the chief executive officer of IDB Capital Limited, a division of the Kenya Ministry of Trade and Industry.

Kathryne Maundu is a Kenyan lawyer, corporate executive, counselor and mentor, who serves as the Corporation Secretary of Safaricom, Kenya's largest mobile network operator.

Rose Nyaboke Ogega, is a Kenyan accountant, businesswoman and corporate executive, who serves as the chief executive officer of Bloom Consultancy Limited, a Nairobi-based organization that develops leadership skills through executive mentoring and coaching. She concurrently serves as a board member of several large public and private companies, including Safaricom, the largest mobile network operator in Kenya.

Catherine Kariuki Mulika, , is a Kenyan lawyer, who is a Partner at the law firm of TripleOKLaw Advocates LLP, based in Nairobi, Kenya's capital and largest city. She specializes in Intellectual Property, Telecommunications, Media and Technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benjamin Langat</span>

Hon. Amb. CPA Benjamin Kipkirui Langat, CBS is the current Member of Parliament for Ainamoi Constituency and immediate former Kenya High Commissioner to Namibia. He also served as the Member of Parliament for Ainamoi Constituency in Kericho from 2008 to 2017. He holds a Master of Business Administration Degree in Accounting and Bachelor of Commerce Degree both from the University of Nairobi. He is also a fully qualified Certified Public Accountant and member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya in good standing.

Anne Muraya is a Kenyan accountant, businesswoman, and corporate executive who was appointed as the chief executive officer of Deloitte East Africa, effective 1 June 2022. Up until then, she served as the Africa Managing Partner for Responsible Business and Public Policy at Deloitte. She concurrently worked as the audit leader for East Africa. In her new position, Muraya oversees the company's business in eight countries, namely: Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. She is the first female executive to serve in that position, in the history of the firm.

Risper Alaro is an accountant, businesswoman and corporate executive in Kenya. In March 2022, she was appointed as the group finance director at Centum Investments, a publicly traded private equity company in Kenya. The shares of stock of Centum Investments trade on both the Nairobi Stock Exchange and on the Uganda Securities Exchange. Alaro is expected to take up her new appointment on 15 March 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kyatusiimire, Sharon (13 July 2018). "Meet Esther Muchemi, the Kenyan Entrepreneur Inspiring Ugandan Businesswomen". Kampala: Chimprepots.com. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  2. Mulupi, Dinfin (26 August 2014). "How Esther Muchemi's early bet on the growth of mobile telecoms paid off". How We Made It In Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  3. 1 2 Okoti, Daisy (2 February 2018). "Youth have many opportunities, they just don't see them". Daily Nation . Nairobi. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  4. Mwitari, David (September 2017). "10 tips on building an impressive business - Esther Muchemi CEO of Samchi Group of Companies". Nairobi: SDE.CO.KE. Retrieved 27 September 2018.