At his office on Ngong Road, Morningside Office Park, he looks out of the window and points out several buildings on the street that have his signature.
In the 21 years he has worked on the Kemsa warehouse in Embakasi, Nairobi, funded by the Global Fund.
His engineering consulting firm also did works at GTC complex in Westlands, Nairobi, Movenpick Hotel in Nairobi, Thika Greens Golf Estate, Kigali Logistic Platform in Rwanda; and the UAP Equatorial Tower in Juba South Sudan, among others.
Mr Ikundo came from a humble upbringing in a village in Nyeri, raised by small-scale farmers' parents. He got a shot at life when he made it to Mangu High School and the University of Nairobi to study for a Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering.
“I had been called to study Bachelor of Commerce, but I asked for a transfer because I felt the course was not challenging me,” the seventh born in a family of nine, says.
He was to later work at Sanyo Electronics, before joining Public Works, because he "needed an engineering certification to practice," and then four years later, he ventured out into the unknown. Alone.
How did he do it, leaving the comfort of a government job to risk it in private practice when few people did so?
"I call it a vision. I knew early that I wanted to start my private firm. After graduation, I started working at Sanyo Electronics as a technician, and I was exposed to the private sector.
"I got my letter to work at the Ministry of Public Works and when I fulfilled my three years, I knew I wanted to leave. Those days, the Permanent Secretary of Public Works, had to sign your certification, but unfortunately, he had been sacked.
" I had to wait for another year, and when I got my certification, I resigned and left," he says.
He then moved to Arusha in 1998, having been invited by a former client.
"I had some savings from my former jobs, so I took a bus and went. We worked there from 1998 to 2007," he says.
He came back to Kenya and started his company.
"I was a jack-of-all-trades, spreading myself thin. We narrowed down to only consulting services and are still offering consulting services in electrical, mechanical and ICT engineering to date,” he says.
He pegs his success on repeat business. About 70 percent of his business is from repeat customers and referrals.
Maintaining integrity, especially given big infrastructure projects are often tainted by corruption, is one of the challenges that firms in the construction industry face.
He says he learnt early on in his career to be very strict on ethics.
"I learnt this from a friend who runs an old firm he inherited from his father. The company doesn’t bribe for work. Once you give them a job, they will make sure it is of top quality.
"That’s their strength. Even people who want to be corrupt know that if an aspect is too critical and quality is key, they have to give them business. Of course, you lose some clients, but you get many more," Mr Ikundo says.
Succession planning
Succession planning is another challenge that Kenyan founders face. At 55, has he started planning to pass on the baton?
"I believe people should not work in the same place until they go down the cliff. You can be at the back helping others source for work, you slowdown in life or do something else.
"In the next 10 years, I would rather not be on the front line," he says, adding, " I would like the people who I have worked with over the years and are still with me to have a stake in the running of the company. Family members who want to step in can also do so."
Transfer of power from first to second generation takes many forms. Some founders start preparing their children to take over the business by steering their interests and studies. Mr Ikundo's daughter wants to be a doctor.
"I can’t force her to work here. But my son is studying engineering by choice. If he wants to continue on this path, it's okay, but he will have to start from the bottom," he says.
If there is one thing that he has learned that no one would have taught him in the school of life, it is, that "money is like hot air. It's always looking for permanent ventilations. So, if you don't take care of it, it will all go.
There's nothing like too much money. If you wait until you have a lot of cash, you will never achieve that dream. So, whenever you get that little money, take care of it, and do something meaningful. If you spend it [carelessly], you'll never know that you had it."
The 55-year-old says he is pragmatic and practical, to the fault that he owned his first 20 flats before buying his car.
“You first afford a building before the luxury,” he says, "chess has taught him to look ahead and see before you make the next move."
What has he done with his money?
"The first thing I did was to get a house. When I got married and I was in a rental house, I thought, anything can happen. I bought land in Kinoo and built it, but I was pushed out because of insecurity.
I then moved to Buruburu to rent and started building at Racecourse. I didn't have enough money then. I decided to build my house on the ground floor and do two houses upstairs to rent out.
When I say small money is enough, believe me, because with time, I built two blocks with five floors (20 units), and we never got to move in.
I rented all of them out. With time I have built more rental apartments elsewhere," he says.
An avid hiker, cyclist and chess player, he says what keeps him energetic in his mid-50s, is mastering the art of winding down and avoiding stress.
"Don't carry somebody's stress. Just carry yours. Then set aside some time to relax. I climb mountains, cycle, play chess and watch science documentaries and soap operas…they say soaps are for women, but I have a few I follow,” he says.
