This archive report was first published on 2 September 2021.
Published on September 2, 2021, Maina Kageni's story is a testament to hard work and determination. The renowned media personality has been one of the highest-paid in Kenya, but his journey to the top was not without its challenges.
After completing high school, Maina went to study in the United Kingdom, but he never quite got into a classroom despite registering. Instead, he got a job as a truck driver and later joined the car export business, exporting and selling cars to Kenyans.
It was only after returning home that Maina applied for a voice-over job, which set him on the path to becoming one of Kenya's best presenters. He started off at Capital FM and later moved to Nation FM, where he was told to 'be Kenyan' and bring a more local flavor to the radio.
One day, a riot broke out, and Maina's new car was smashed by University of Nairobi students. His boss saw this as an opportunity and told Maina, 'That is what I need on radio.' This incident marked a turning point in Maina's career, and he eventually moved to Kiss 100 FM, where he was offered a starting salary of Sh. 380,000.
According to Maina, he was initially being paid Sh. 60,000 at Nation FM, but Patrick Quarcoo, the CEO of Radio Africa, offered him a significant increase. Maina said he pretended not to look desperate and asked for time to think, eventually returning to Nation FM to inform them of the offer he had received.
With his new salary, Maina moved to Kiss 100 FM and began his journey to becoming one of Kenya's highest-paid presenters.
