The Hub Mall Karen is one of the best and most-visited mall in Nairobi. The mall receives close to 55,000 visitors per week who frequent the mall to enjoy the services available. It is located in the leafy suburbs of Karen, Nairobi and is home to international brands such as Java, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and LC Waikiki. In this article, The African Torch brings you the story of Humphrey Kariuki Ndegwa – the billionaire behind this prestigious mall.
Humphrey Kariuki’s Journey.
Humphrey Kariuki was born in 1956 in the interior villages of Nyeri County in the Mount Kenya region of Kenya. He attended Nairobi School for his O level education before proceeding to Kagumo high school for his A level education. After completing his high school education, Kariuki opted to join the job market rather than continuing with his tertiary education. He began his career in the late 1980s as a Clerk at the Central Bank of Kenya while aged 19 years old. The opportunity to work at the Central Bank of Kenya gave him exposure and opened his horizon and it was only a matter of time before he quit and joined the business world.
He joined the automotive industry whereby he began importing cars into the country before selling them to clients in Nairobi and its environs. After making profits in the business, he joined the hospitality sector whereby he opened Green corner and Twigs restaurants which were located in the heart of Nairobi’s Central Business District. He then expanded and founded WOW Beverages in January 1992 – the first privately owned company to import wines and spirits into the country. The company is one of the leading importers and distributors of alcoholic and non-alcoholic products in Kenya for over two decades.
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Establishing Janus Continental Group.
In 2012, Humphrey established Janus Continental Group – an international conglomerate of market leading companies in the Energy, Hospitality and Real Estate Sectors. Some of the companies under Janus Continental Group include National Oil Company of Kenya (NOCK), Great Lakes Africa Energy Company and Dalbit Petroleum company which distributes oil across Southern and East African countries. Mr Kariuki through the group of companies purchased Mount Kenya Wildlife conservancy and Animal Orphanage in his efforts to preserve endangered animals such as Mountain Bongo antelopes and Pygmy Rhinos. He also owns Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club.
Setting up The Hub Karen.
On February 4th 2016, Mr Kariuki through Janus Continental Group launched the Hub mall Karen. The project was developed in two phases, the first phase being a 35,000 square meters gross area (excluding parking), featuring a retail, offices, medical and wellness center while phase two involved more parking, a hotel and conference center. Currently, the mall has over 1,200 parking bays, 1,300 eatery seats and over 85 local and international stores. The mall is opened every Sunday to Thursdays from 8.00 am to 11.00pm while on Fridays, Saturdays and public holidays from 8.00am to 12.00am. Broll Property Group Kenya Limited has been appointed to manage the mall with the mandate to achieve international standards.
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