Kenya’s online retail guru who buys, sells all

The story that finally ends up being the story of OLX, and other online classified companies, started in Argentina in 2006. Two guys thought it would be nice to connect buyers and sellers without leaving their seats.

Now that concept has spread to over 100 countries. OLX, owned by South Africa’s Naspers, is a rebrand of Dealfish, which you might remember from a few years back.

“Dealfish was a strategic decision to move to a global brand as a single classifieds platform,” Peter is quoted to have said to explain it’s “extinction.”

And now the presence of OLX is virtually bordering on omnipresence; on TV, when you open a web page, newspaper, radio and on social media. The man driving this onslaught is Peter Ndiangui, who before this posting was Dealfish’s regional manager.

For this interview, we meet over juice at Sierra Bar. The juice being my idea. Peter is studious and deliberate, a veneer that stays up throughout our chat. Maybe the juice was a bad idea.

I’ve seen many odd-sounding names from central, but yours almost takes the cake. Ndiangui, quite peculiar, no?

Well, yes, it’s not that common. It’s not a very popular name either, I guess. I’m from Nyeri. I’m a typical Nyeri guy.

A typical Nyeri guy is an expression that can elicit many different kinds of reactions given the stories of domestic mutiny that is told about the women - and men - from your hometown…

(Laughs) I’m not a feminist or anything like that. I’m a strong advocate of driving social progress. I’m happy to note that our former president gave women a lot of liberties. At OLX, we are all about this kind of empowerment, which shows, by the 60 per cent women in our staff. No other tech company can match these figures…

What is the weirdest product anyone ever sold on OLX?

A donkey. (Laughs). Someone in Eldoret put it up for sale and it went. But now, we are getting more and more people selling animals online; dogs, chicken etc. The livestock sector is growing fast.

What are your interests?

My experiences at OLX influence me to teach young people. I’m a big advocate of youth empowerment. I’m involved in many projects that help young boys. I also love food, travelling and a big family guy. I love my family.

Kids?

Yes, I have a two-year-old son.

How would you like your kids to turn out?

Good question. That answer has to be in the context of what’s going on around. We are living in extreme times as a nation, a time when we have all felt inadequate because of the images we see in the media, of kids in Turkana starving.

The poverty in Kibera. I see us guys being a part of a generation with no baggage of colonisation. I want to see this country prosper, a nation of developed thinkers. And this is what I want for my kids, to shape their belief system to be that.

What do you fear as a father?

Them turning out to be the opposite of the above. I don’t want my kids to grow up thinking that their father and the country owes them something. I dread such a belief system.

How do you unwind?

I listen to jazz. I love good jazz. I’m also passionate about books. I read materials that cover history of nations. Stories about people interest me a lot. I recently spent half the day at the national archives reading the history of advertising in Kenya. I was really buried in that topic.

What’s on your Bucket List?

One; and this will happen soon: go to Turkana and spend two weeks living there. Two; I have never been to Moyale, so I would love to do that as well. Three; climb Mt Kilimanjaro. Lastly, visit some cities in China.

What are your flaws?

Over-analysing things. I’m also set in my own ways, I don’t conform easily.

Dinner with one person, who and where would you take them for dinner?

Clayton Christensen. One of the 50 people voted by Forbes as The Most Influential Business Thinkers in the world (2013). I’d love to discuss with him the ideas he has churned out over time. I would take him to the shores of Lake Turkana and we would eat fresh Nile Perch out there in the wilderness.

When are you most vulnerable?

Friday afternoon. That’s because I’m always looking at my watch for when I get home to start spending time with my son.

How long you been married?

Six years.

What’s the hardest bit?

Making meaningful promises and keeping them. You know, how we juggle what we do for a living and the obligations of marriage. You strike me as a very middle of the road kind of guy.

What’s the craziest thing you ever done?

(Laughs) I have never had any crazy moments. (Thinks). None, actually. But perhaps I can mention me trying to cook chapos without prior experience one day when we had guests over. The result was disastrous. (Laughs). Look, I’m not the crazy type; I won’t be that guy jumping off a cliff.

Do you drink?

Yes, I drink draft beer. I love draft beers. I love experimenting with them, especially German beers. I also love dawa.