According to Oxfam International, an international movement that fights inequality and poverty globally, less than 0.1% of Kenyans (referring to the rich) own more than the remaining 99.9%. That shows the wide gap between the poorest and the richest people in Kenya.
Sitting at the top of the list is Sameer Merali, son of the late billionaire Naushad Merali, whose fortune is estimated to be worth Ksh89.6 billion.
The heir to his late father’s proverbial throne, Sameer is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Sameer Investments Limited.
At the time of succession, the family’s wealth was estimated at approximately $1.4 billion around KSh 182 billion), positioning Sameer among Kenya’s wealthiest individuals. But inheritance alone does not sustain billion-shilling portfolios. The real test lies in stewardship — and in whether the second generation can protect and grow what the first built.
By the year 2000, Merali owned 40% of telecom giant Airtel then known as KenCell Communications), with French firm Vivendi owning the rest.
When his business partner decided to call it quits in 2004, Merali convinced his partner Vivendi who had the majority shares to sell him their 60% stake for Ksh 230 billion.
An hour later, Merali sold the 60% stake to billionaire Mo Ibrahim’s Celtel with a profit margin of Ksh1.6 billion
He was born in Nairobi in 1976, Sameer’s preparation for leadership was deliberate. He earned a BSc in Management Science from King’s College London and later an MSc in Banking and International Finance from City University Business School in London. Before joining the family enterprise.