Charles Njiru Kaburu, better known as Mkombozi (Swahili for “savior”), is the owner of Nice City and other multimillion-shilling businesses in Kirinyaga County.
Born in 1963 in Kangai village, Kirinyaga County, his rise from poverty to multimillionaire status has been a manifestation of relentless hard work, adaptability, and faith in the future.
But on July 7, during the Saba Saba protests witnessed across Kenya, Njiru watched in despair as looters vandalized parts of his Nice Digital City complex, causing damage worth millions of shillings.
It was a brutal blow to a man who spent over four decades building an empire from the ground up.
Humble Beginnings of Charles Njiru Kaburu
Njiru was born into a family of eight. Life was tough. He recalled growing up on sugarless porridge and borrowing his brother’s trousers to appear decent while dating.
“I was born in a family of eight. We grew up taking sugarless porridge for breakfast,” he said in a past interview.
“When I began dating, I borrowed my brother’s pair of trousers to look presentable.”
After completing secondary school in the 1980s, Njiru trained as a tailor and earned just Ksh300 per month.
With each trouser fetching Ksh2 and each shirt Ksh1, the returns were meager.
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He later quit tailoring, returned home to Karaba, and tried farming on a 10-acre piece of land, growing tomatoes and French beans. Four years in, all he had saved was Ksh2,500.
Trying, Failing, and Rising Again
Undeterred, Njiru borrowed Ksh500 from a friend and topped up his savings to start selling second-hand clothes. That venture lasted just two months.
He then moved into hawking agrochemicals in Mwea town, which proved profitable.
In just six months, he earned Ksh300,000. But as competition stiffened, profits fell. He exited after three years.
Njiru later ventured into matatu services, sand transportation, construction materials, and even brewing.
However, high operating costs and dishonest dealings pushed him out of each.
“My life in business has been so hostile, but I believe that in every adversity, there is a way out,” he told Business Daily in 2015.
Finding His Breakthrough in Rice
In 1984, a severe drought hit Kirinyaga, making farming unsustainable. Njiru pivoted to rice milling, a decision that would change his life.
Encouraged by local farmers, he turned his stalled maize milling plant into Nice Rice Millers Ltd. The demand was immediate and overwhelming.
“Farmers were waiting for three months to have their rice milled at government-owned mills. They started flocking to my maize mill looking for storage. Eventually, I started milling for them,” Njiru recalled.
As business boomed, he added more machines and hired more staff.
Today, Nice Rice Mill mills 150 tonnes of rice per day accounting for around 70% of Mwea’s 40,000-tonne annual production.
Building Nice Digital City
The success of the rice mill led to the creation of Nice Digital City, a mega mall sitting on 8 acres.
It is located in Mwea, the complex includes a 75-bed hotel, a supermarket, petrol station, swimming pool, gardens, a chemist, and more.
“I own and operate all the facilities in the mall except the chemist which I have rented out. Visitors can use the gardens for free as long as they commit to spending on drinks and food from the hotel,” he said.
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The city is a family-run affair. His two sons manage the hotel, supermarket, and a fuel station, while his daughter oversees operations with over 300 staff.
Nice Wagons and a National Vision
Njiru’s ambitions didn’t stop at milling. He invested Ksh13.2 million in assembling 24 rice delivery wagons “Nice Wagons” to supply three tonnes of rice daily across counties like Kirinyaga, Embu, and Tharaka Nithi. He later expanded to Nairobi, Nanyuki, and Nakuru.
“Mobile shops are the model of the future,” he said, noting that the idea came from business trips to India, China, and Dubai.
“My dream is to have a wagon in every town in the country.”
His brand now includes Nice Rice Mills, Nice Charcoal, Nice Mineral Water, Nice Bakeries, and Nice Jikos.
Devastation During Saba Saba
On July 7, as protestors poured into the streets during the Saba Saba demonstrations, parts of Njiru’s Nice Digital City were looted and vandalized.
The destruction, according to Njiru, cost him millions.
“It’s heartbreaking,” he said. “This is not just my business; it’s a livelihood for thousands of families.”
“Hired goons invaded the property. They were not that many, reports allege that they had held secret meetings in undisclosed locations. They were very violent and managed to break in after arriving at around 9.00 a.m. They broke windows and doors before they engaged police in back-and-forth battles for about two hours,” he narrated.
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