This archive report was first published on 19 December 2019.
December 19, 2019, marked a significant milestone for Focus Realtors Group, a company started by a group of shoe shiners, porters, and cleaners over 10 years ago. The group laid the foundation stone for an Sh80 million commercial building in Runyenjes town, Embu County.
The group's captain, Jamal Runyenje, said their 17 business units will be housed in the four-storey building, with the rest of the office space to be leased out. From humble beginnings, the group has grown into a big organisation commanding an asset base of millions of shillings and with investments in Focus Realtors Sacco, a security firm, and a housing unit, among others.
Speaking during the laying of the foundation stone, Mr Runyenje said the group currently employs 120 people, but with planned strategic investments, they project to have employed 300 people by 2022. The group's strategic plan envisions starting more groups, which will not only see members' wealth improving, but also creating job opportunities for locals.
Pool resources together and invest in more land and property in different areas of the country, encouraged National Assembly Majority Deputy Chief Whip Cecily Mbarire, who laid the foundation stone for the new building. Ms Mbarire is the patron and the brain behind the multi-million Runyenjes Women Trust Fund (RWTF) that has shares in the Focus Realtors Group of Companies.
The RWTF has a membership of over 6,000 women drawn from Runyenjes Constituency and has a capital base of over Sh120 million. Business unions have greatly assisted many people fight poverty, said Ms Mbarire. The parties involved should be focused and honest. The management and members of Focus Realtors Group should continue dreaming large and work together.
Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry Embu Chapter Chairman Mugo Mate said once the plaza is complete, it will increase office space in the agricultural town, and attract more businesses to the area. Situated along the Nairobi-Meru Highway, the Focus Realtors Paza will be the tallest building in the area, giving Runyenjes town a new image as a fast-growing urban area.
