Zarak J. Khan’s father died when he was 11 years, so he was schooled by his uncles who were running a small business in Mombasa. After A-levels in 1978, he got Sh7,500 from his mother— a housewife— bought a small car, sold it at a small profit then bought a plane ticket to the UK where he studied automobile engineering. He came back, got a job at DT Dobie as a cleaner cum tea-boy, then a mechanic, then supervisor, then assistant field service sales manager and then in 1992 became the sales director and then the managing director in 1997. He is now the chairman of DT Dobie and the rest is history. He met JACKSON BIKO in his office in Industrial Area. He’s fastidious and calm.
Your desk is the most organised I have seen; everything seems arranged with such an intense purpose and your office is so minimalist. Is this is a manifestation of an OCD man? (He’s also in an amazingly snow-white shirt) OCD? Oh no. I’m an engineer so things have to be placed properly. My business is a combination of art and science and there’s the engineering element which is the products which we have. There’s also some discipline required...And then of course managing people is a combination of art and science.
