Billionaire business mogul and Kenya’s third head of civil servants, Jeremiah Kiereini dies aged 90 at his home on the evening of Monday, May 13.
Mr Kiereini was born in 1929 in Kibicho, Central Kenya, schooled in Alliance Boys’ and later at Makerere University in Uganda.
President Kenyatta condoles the family of former Head of Public Service Jeremiah Kiereini who passed last evening. In his message, the President described the late Kiereini as a towering reform-minded public servant and patriotic Kenyan who served his country with distinction ^MK pic.twitter.com/nA3AgHLjvC
— KBC Channel1 News (@KBCChannel1) May 14, 2019
Before his death, Kiereini authored a memoir ‘A Daunting Journey’
He was then employed by the Indian High Commission in the 1950’s. He later joined the colonial Civil Service at the height of the Mau Mau uprising.
He would rise through the ranks to be the head of the Civil Service in the 1980’s where he served for over 30 years.
The astute businessman had interests in real estate, insurance, coffee farming and the hotel industry.
He was also a former CMC Motors chairman.
After retirement from the public service, Mr Kiereini transitioned into the private sector by being appointed Chairman of the Kenya Breweries Board (KBL) in 1988, a company he later transformed into the East African Breweries Limited.
The late Kiereini served on the boards of several companies including Unga Group Limited, CMC Holdings, CFC Stanbic, Heritage Insurance and CFC Life among others.
Despite his multi-billion-shilling fortune, Mr Kiereini didn’t consider himself wealthy.
He lists a double exhaust Mercedes 450 SLC sports car bought in 1978 for Sh680,000 as one of his most prized possessions.
Another of his possessions is the 850-acre Kiambu farm (Gitamuri Farm), which he bought from a Greek family in 1974 for Sh5 million.
The late married two wives Njanja and Njuhi. From the first wife–Njanja, he had Mai, Kirika, Jeremiah and Wambui while from Njuhi his second he had Zakayo Njoroge, Elizabeth Njeri and Jeremiah Gitau.
RIP Jeremiah Kiereini!