How Kiwanuka moved from reception to the corner office

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“Chiwanuka”, and not “Kiwanuka”, isn’t that how it’s pronounced?

Exactly. That’s my dad’s name, he was Ugandan, hailed from Katende region in Western Uganda. Dad was a doctor who found his way to Kenya at the height of Idi Amin’s tyranny where, in his own words, he met the most beautiful woman he had ever seen – mom – from Kiriaini, Nyeri.

He was warned not to deal with Kikuyu women (Laughs) and so when he married her, he moved us all to Embu, a middle ground, and where I was raised.

How was growing up in Embu?

The reason why I find it hard to assimilate myself into this whole Nairobi social culture is because I’m basically a farm girl.
But I ended up attending Kenya High where you never quite felt the pressure to excel in education, you were given the choice to pursue other disciplines and that’s why most of my friends who pursued different disciplines are successful in them. I then joined University of Nairobi to do Actuarial Science when I didn’t attain the necessary points for medicine.

After university, I joined Hyman’s Robertson (now Alexander Forbes) as a receptionist. You can imagine how humbling that was, from crunching huge mathematical sums to sitting at the reception! I was there for seven years!

As a receptionist?

No! Fortunately! (Laughs). That experience taught me that you just have to do your time. I wasn’t allowed to meet a client the first five years there, and that kind of experience is very important. You keep your head low and you learn.

I then took a one year sabbatical and joined Patricia Mbela, the fashion designer, where my greatest achievement was to design one glamorous hat that made it for one of her shows. (Smiles). I then got broke and joined the Local Authority as a pension provider, there I learnt that the real money is not in Nairobi.

Where is the real money?

In Narok. Every time I paid benefits to a farmer who we thought we were doing a favour, we realised that he would only use that money to buy seeds for his massive wheat farm. There is also money in Garissa. This experience piqued my financial radar.

What are you struggling with right now?

I find it unfortunate how young people want to move too fast; they want to get in and immediately be managers. I’m struggling with friends and relatives bringing me CVs of people who want to join and start from the top.

What’s the one thing that really shakes your self-confidence?

When someone shouts at me. (Pause). I don’t think that actually shakes my confidence. (Thinks). I think if any of my close family or friends felt that our relationship had stopped being authentic, that would do it.

(Thinks) You know, I also think if my mom read this interview and thought it was rubbish, that would shake me. (Peeking at my notepad). Hey, are you actually writing my words verbatim?!

Will you stop reading my notes!

(Laughs) Your handwriting is so legible upside down.

Thank you! So when did you last shout at someone?

We were raised with rules in the house; don’t bang doors, sufurias and make a racket generally, so I guess that socialisation is the reason why it would shake me if shouted at.

Throughout your life, what is the one thing that you have pursued that you didn’t achieve?

(Long pause) Now, that’s a new one! A brand new car from the showroom, something with zero mileage and polythene paper on the seats.

I’m sure you can get one if you wanted to…

That’s what everyone would say. I don’t know. One time I gave this really old woman in the village Sh1,000 and she thanked me but said, “A woman without a house is still a poor woman.” Since then I have invested and I don’t know if I will ever get to the point of buying a brand-new car from the showroom at this expense.

How many houses do you own now, five?

(Laughs) Don’t go there! The house I live in is mine, and I have some investments here and there in the property market.

How old are you?

38.

Are you married, single?

Single. I always joke that my greatest blessings are my exes. (Chuckle). I’m friends with all of them, they will always tell me when I’m losing focus.

What is your greatest regret?

I had an answer to that question yesterday. (Thinks). Yes, wish I had spent more time with my dad before he passed on seven years ago. I was struggling then and couldn’t afford to visit him in Uganda as often as I would have liked.

You are half Ugandan-half Nyeri, what is the “Nyerian” in you?

Person who worries about the sense in buying a showroom car. The Ugandan in me wants the showroom car, the Nyeri in me says no!

So Zumba, what’s up with that?

It’s great exercise, even though it doesn’t help my weight! (Sigh)…

Nonsense, your weight is just fine…

Oh thanks! I liked dancing in college so Zumba allows me to relive some of that. Plus this year, I decided to live my life as a bird. Here, look (removes small phone from purse) I let go of my nice modern phone for this “mulika mwizi.”

Like a true Nyerian…

(Laughs) I know! This year is for taking things easy, for de-stressing. I said I won’t deal with 1,000 emails on my phone the whole day.

You have kids?

No.

You want kids?

Yes. But I know I don’t want a kid without a husband. I don’t think I would be the same person if my dad wasn’t in my life.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Holidays. I spend on holidays! The last memorable trip I was in? Milan, definitely. It ties with Zanzibar. That was also really nice.

By the way, this year, I will be on a cruise, courtesy of Old Mutual. They have a very strong human resource component, the best I have encountered professionally, so I’m looking forward to that.

Listen, will you please tell me if your mom thinks this interview was rubbish?

(Laughs) I sure will.