Maina Kageni
Maina Kageni is a household name in Kenya, largely due to his popular morning show on Radio Africa Group’s Classic FM, which he co-hosts with comedian ‘Mwalimu King’ang’i’ alias Daniel Ndambuki.
His show’s popularity, primarily in urban areas, generates enormous advertising revenue. This has made Kageni one of the highest-paid media personalities in the country, but he considers his radio work to be merely his day job, allowing him to pursue other endeavors.
His other income-generating activities include influencing for brands, assisting Kenyan politicians with their public relations and marketing, and operating his own businesses, such as his travel agency Tembea Tujenge Kenya. Moreover, he is employed by the Kenya Tourism Federation (KTF).
Maina Kageni’s Tembea Tujenge Kenya has established partnerships with Isuzu, Sarova Hotels, and Safaricom, among others.
In a recent interview with his Radio Africa colleague Kamene Goro, Maina urged Kenyans not to rely on a single source of income.
“The day you have only one revenue stream you’re finished. Totally finished,” he stated.
Maina also revealed that his entry into radio was a “happy accident.” He noted that he had always had a passion for business and that, if not for radio.
Together with his friends Trevor Kanja and DJ Pinye, a young Kageni wanted to promote an event they had organized on the radio.
The inability to pay Ksh40,000 for a voice-over artist for the advertisement they wanted to air on Capital FM resulted in the beginning of his radio career, which would propel him to incredible fame and success.
Kageni remarked that he requested permission to record the voice over himself due to a lack of funds. The station was so impressed with Kageni that they offered him a position immediately.
“I paid for the airtime, then they said we need Ksh40,000 for the voice-over – the guy who speaks the ad on the radio and its sound nice. I said can I do it? They said it’s your ad, if its rubbish its rubbish…I did the voice over and then they asked me, have you ever been on radio?” Kageni stated
“Basically if I had Ksh40,000 that day I’d never be on radio,” he added.
Also Read: A Look inside Maina Kageni’s Multi-million Car Collection [Photos]
