S.K. Macharia (Samuel Kamau Macharia) is the owner of the Royal Media Services. RMS is an umbrella of fourteen radio stations that cover different groups of the diverse Kenyan communities and Citizen Television.
S.K. Macharia Background
Dr. Samuel Kamau Macharia was born in 1942 in Ndakaini Village, Murang’a County. He was born to a humble background couple who worked as squatters on settler plantations in Sabatia. He was born amongst three sisters and was the second born in the family. He lost his mother at the tender age of five. The family moved to Arusha in search of livelihood but the father was unable to secure any employment. Subsequently, Dr. Macharia started keeping company of Maasai boys, herding their family herds and would as a result traverse great distances looking for pasture alongside the Maasai boys, hence he would be away for extended periods of time.
Education
Dr. Macharia went to Ndakaini Primary School in standard one and thereafter he admitted to Gituru Intermediate School where he sat the Kenya African Preliminary Examination (KAPE) in 1958.
Following his high school education, he joined the Seattle Pacific University for a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree course in political science. Thereafter he registered for part-time classes in accounts at the University of Washington where he later enrolled for a degree programme. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in Accounting three years later. Thereafter, he successfully completed a Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree in Accounting/Finance and a Master of Arts (M.A.) in Accounting. He later enrolled for certification to become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) holder.
S.K. Macharia Career
He was later on offered a job as an untrained primary school teacher (then called UT) at Makomboki Primary School, where he taught for a year before being selected to join Kahuhia Teachers Training College for a two-year training course which would qualify him to become a P3 teacher. On completion of the course, he was posted to Gituru Primary School in 1961.
He went to the United States of America in 1962 and coming back to Kenya in 1969 he got a job in the Ministry of Local Government, as a Provincial Local Government Finance Officer (Supernumerary). He later worked with ICDC (Industrial and Commercial Development Corporation) and Kenya Industrial Estates (KIE). While at the KIE, Dr. Macharia was involved in implementation of President Kenyatta’s Africanization policy.
Thus in 1973 he was appointed to head a taskforce whose broad term of reference was to do a thorough audit of the Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC), with the aim of eventually liquidating it. The ADC was then a government parastatal organization, which had been established in 1965, through an Act of Parliament (Cap 346), to facilitate a land transfer programme from “European” settlers to indigenous Kenyans, following independence.
After one year, the team filed their report with Head of Civil Service and Secretary to the Cabinet, stating that ADC could be saved. Dr. Macharia was then transferred to the ADC as Financial Controller in January 1974 and tasked with implementation of
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S.K. Macharia
the team’s report. Working together with the ADC’s general manager, the late Ben Gakonyo, they were able to successfully turn around the Corporation. Thus, his contribution to the agricultural sector in this country and, in effect, indigenization of the economy deserves acknowledging.
Dr. Macharia left ADC in 1979, to run Madhupaper, a tissue production company he had started three years earlier. The company grew rapidly and by 1985 had over 300 employees and “Rosy”, its tissue paper brand, was and still is a household name in East Africa. Madhupaper was the only local manufacturer of tissue paper in Kenya and, in just a few years, had saved the country millions of shillings in foreign exchange previously spent on imported tissue paper.
Royal Media Services
Today S.K. Macharia stands tall as a media mogul who owns the biggest radio network in Kenya with a combined listenership estimated at 70 per cent of all Kenyans-this was far ahead of the next private-owned radio station in Kenya. By the last count, his radio stations included: Citizen FM, a Swahili station, which commands an audience equivalent to 43 per cent of Kenya, Ramogi FM, Mrembe FM, Inooro FM, Musyi FM which broadcasts in Luo, Luhya, Kikuyu and Kamba respectively.
Though Macharia’s Royal Media attracted a negligible share of the gross advertising revenue three years ago, according to industry data, in 2004, the group captured a 10 per cent market share of the Sh8.4 billion that companies spent on media in Kenya.
In 2005, media planners interviewed by the Financial Standard indicated that Macharia’s stations will increase their market share. The expert argue that with the media market fragmenting the way it has-already 17 FM stations are featured in radio dials-in the Nairobi market alone, both national and local advertisers are enjoying a freedom of choice to target their customers in ways that they could not do before.
Service to University of Nairobi
Dr. Macharia has greatly promoted the vision and mission of the University of Nairobi towards enhancement of its institutional visibility and public image over the last decade, largely by providing free live coverage of its graduation ceremonies and other events. This magnanimity of service provision saves the University millions of Shillings.
As a former member of the University of Nairobi Council and chair of University’s Procurement Committee, he spearheaded the streamlining of the University procurement systems, saving the Institution millions of shillings. This is in addition to his support for transformative leadership at the institution, which saw the University of Nairobi adopt and internalize the organizationally effective culture or management practice of doing business from 7.00 am in the morning.
S.K. Macharia Net Worth
S.K. Macharia Net Worth: $150 Million
Mr. Macharia has investments in Agriculture, Real Estate, Transport, Banking and Telecommunication.
He is a businessman and media mogul , who owns numerous stations in both English, Kiswahili and Venacular that include Citizen TV, Kiss, Radio Jambo, Ramogi, Muuga, Chamgei,Iinooro, Bahari and Wimwaro.
His total net worth is estimated to be $150 million. He is in fact said to be an all rounder as his investments are found in all major companies in Kenya. Fondly known as the man with a short name. His net worth runs into millions of dollar.
S.K. Macharia Awards
RMS Chairman Dr S.K. Macharia received Ernst and Young Lifetime Achievement Award.
S.K. Macharia Family, Wife and Children
S.K. Macharia is a family man. He is married and blessed with six children, two girls and four boys who are all university graduates. It is a family that learnt to stay together closely through thick and thin as they went through livelihood experiences and challenges.
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