This archive report was first published on 30 August 2021.
On August 30, 2021, billionaire Jimi Wanjigi shared his remarkable journey to success in a media interview on Citizen TV.
Wanjigi, who comes from a well-off family with his father, Maina Wanjigi, serving as a powerful minister in the Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel Arap Moi administrations, surprisingly claimed he started his first business without any financial support.
He revealed that his first business was garbage collection in Nairobi, a venture he pioneered as a private service.
"It's important you understand my story a bit more. My first business was garbage collection. I pioneered garbage collection in this country, private garbage collection," he said.
Wanjigi explained that he had to navigate through various government offices to obtain permits for his business, which was initially met with resistance due to existing laws requiring the city to collect garbage once it was placed in receptacles.
He secured permission to provide complementary services, including plastic bags under the company Bins Limited, and obtained permission to dump garbage in Dandora.
Wanjigi also credited a former classmate for helping him secure funds to purchase his first vehicle for transporting garbage from different parts of the city to Dandora.
He denied allegations of engaging in shady deals and influencing government tenders, stating that his businesses are legitimate and do not directly deal with the government.
"I had no role in the Anglo-leasing scandal, investigations are vindicating me. It is all fabrication," he said.
Wanjigi expressed his interest in the presidency, citing the importance of political stability for businesses to thrive.
