24/04/2026
From The Classroom To Billionaires: Richest Former Teachers In Kenya
The mention of the word “teacher” nowadays doesn’t command much respect as it used to back in the days.
On a measurement of wealth, teaching is not considered a lucrative career, but a number of tutors have made a name for themselves, emerging as major investors in the country. As a matter of fact, some rose to become some of the wealthiest in Kenya.
Samuel K. Macharia
SK Macharia is popularly renowned for his ownership of the Royal Media Services (RMS) which is the parent company for several media houses including, Citizen TV, Inooro TV, Ramogi TV, Radio Citizen, and Hot 96, among others.
The billionaire businessman was born and raised in Murang’a where he attended primary and secondary school. Upon completing the Kenya African Preliminary Education (KAPE), he taught as an untrained teacher at Makomboki primary school in Muranga County where he earned Ksh8 monthly.
Thereafter, he trained as a P3 teacher at Kahuhia Teachers Training College.
“In 1958 and ’59, I attended Kahuhia College for P3 teachers training and I qualified to teach class one pupils. I was number one out of that college and was posted to Gaturo Primary School where I taught for three months,” Macharia stated during an interview in 2020.
Daniel and Eddah Gachukia
The couple are the founders and owners of the Riara Group of Schools. Unknown to many is that after graduating from Makerere University Professor Eddah Gachukia and her husband began their careers as teachers.
Daniel has taught at Namilyango High School in Uganda, Thika and Kagumo High Schools in Kenya where as Eddah on the other hand started her teaching career at Thika High School.
Prof Eddah later advanced her studies at the Leeds University and the University of Nairobi (UoN). She would then lecture at UoN between from 1973 to 1987.
Nelson Muguku and Leah Wanjiku
Nelson Muguku was one of the wealthiest people in Kenya who rose from nothing to own multi-
