This archive report was first published on 24 June 2021.
On June 24, 2021, Raila Odinga, the ODM leader, shared a remarkable story of his entrepreneurial journey, which began with selling his old German car to raise funds for his business venture, East Africa Spectre.
According to Raila, he was approached by an Indian friend who told him about a friend who had brought magnificent machines from Uganda and wanted to sell them quickly. The machines, including rolling machines, welding machines, and sheet metal cutting machines, were being sold at Sh12,000, a price Raila couldn't afford with his salary of Sh2,000.
Undeterred, Raila sold his old Opel left-hand drive car to raise the cash and acquired the machinery to start his business. He set up a go-down in the Industrial Area on Kingston Road, now known as Kampala Road, and began manufacturing casements, windows, steel doors, and other items.
After expanding his business, Raila ventured into manufacturing gas cylinders, a venture that was sparked by a shortage of cylinders reported by a white proprietor from Agip Oil Company. Having worked in a cylinder manufacturing firm in Germany, Raila had an idea and took samples from Agip, retooled, and started manufacturing the gas cylinders.
His business received a boost when a German client, who was impressed by what they were doing, advised Raila to go for a loan to expand his business. This led to Raila's venture into the Kenya Industrial Estate, under the Industrial and Commercial Development Corporation (ICDC), then headed by Matu Wamae.
