Tabitha Karanja Biography
Tabitha Karanja is a widely known Kenyan businesswoman, entrepreneur, politician, and industrialist. She is presently serving as the Senator of Nakuru County on the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket. She is best known as the founder and present Chief Executive Officer of Keroche Breweries, the first large brewery in Kenya owned by a non-multinational company.
She became the senator of Nakuru in the August 9 general election. He accounts for 20% of Kenya’s beer consumption, as of October 2012. After attending Kenyan schools, she took up employment in the Ministry of Tourism as an Accounting Clerk.
10 Quick Facts About Tabitha Karanja
- Name: Tabitha Mukami Muigai Karanja
- Age: 58 Years (2022)
- Birthday: 29 August
- Zodiac Sign: Virgo
- Height: 5 feet 4 inches
- Nationality: Kenyan
- Occupation: Businesswoman, Entrepreneur, Politician, Industrialist
- Marital Status: Married
- Salary: Ksh. 510,000
- Net Worth: $10 million dollars
Tabitha Karanja Age
Tabitha is 58 years old as of 2022, he was born on 29 August 1964, in Kenton, Kijabe, Kenya. She celebrates her birthday on 29 August every year, and her birth sign is Virgo.
Tabitha Karanja Height
Tabitha is around 5 feet 4 inches (1.63 m) tall. She appears to be quite tall in stature if her photos, relative to his surroundings, are anything to go by. However, details regarding her actual height and other body measurements are currently not publicly available. We will update this section when the information is available.
Tabitha Karanja Education
Karanja studied at Kiambogo Primary School. She then attended Bahati Girls Secondary School. She then attended the University of Nairobi and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. After completing her education, she served in the Ministry of Tourism as an Accounting Clerk for two years.
Tertiary / University
- Date: Not Known
- Education Institution: University of Nairobi
- Qualification: Business Administration
Secondary Education
- Date: Not Known
- Education Institution: Bahati Girls Secondary School
- Qualification: KCSE
Primary Education
- Date: Not Known
- Education Institution: Kiambogo primary school
- Qualification: KCPE
Tabitha Karanja Family
Tabitha was born in Kiambogo Longonot near Kijabe, in central Kenya. Our efforts to find out more about her family came to no avail, as no such information is publicly available.
Thus, the identity of Tabitha’s parents is still unclear. It is also not known if she has any siblings. We will update this section once this information is available.
Tabitha Karanja Husband
Tabitha is married to her beloved husband, Joseph Karanja. The couple has been married for over 30 years. They are proud parents of four children; James Karanja (who serves as the Chairman of Keroche Breweries Limited), Anerlisa Muigai, Edward Muigai, and the late Tecra Muigai.
Tabitha Karanja Co Wife
Tabitha was mired in a possessions row with her co-wife Jane Wambui Muigai, with the latter demanding a share of Keroche, the biggest privately owned brewery in Kenya. It all began in 1996 when their husband, Joseph Muigai Karanja, split his wealth equally between them. Simply like in the biblical Parable of the Talents, each wife funded the wealth in the manner she expected.
Tabitha single-handedly supported her share of the inherited property in Keroche which has since grown into a multi-billion empire.
Tabitha Karanja Children
Tabitha and her husband Karanja are proud parents of two sons namely; James Karanja (who serves as the Chairman of Keroche Breweries Limited), and Edward Muigai, and also two daughters namely; Anerlisa Muigai, Edward Muigai, and the late Tecra Muigai.
They are proud parents of four children; James Karanja (who serves as the Chairman of Keroche Breweries Limited), Anerlisa Muigai, Edward Muigai, and Tecra Muigai.
Tabitha Karanja Salary
Karanja receives a monthly basic salary of around Ksh. 510,000 as the Senator of Nakuru County. She also receives an allowance that can reach as high as 250,000 Kenyan Shillings per month.
Tabitha Karanja Net Worth
Tabitha has an estimated net worth of $10 million dollars as of 2022. This includes her assets, money, and income. Her primary source of income is her career as a Businesswoman, Entrepreneur, and Industrialist. Through her various sources of income, Tabitha has been able to accumulate good fortune but prefers to lead a modest lifestyle.
Tabitha Karanja Measurements and Facts
Here are some interesting facts and body measurements you should know about Tabitha Karanja.
Tabitha Karanja Wiki
- Full Names: TabithA Mukami Muigai Karanja
- Popular As: Tabitha Karanja
- Gender: Female
- Occupation / Profession: Businesswoman, Entrepreneur, Politician, Industrialist
- Nationality: American
- Race / Ethnicity: Kikuyu
- Religion: Christian
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
Tabitha Karanja Birthday
- Age / How Old?: 58 Years (2022)
- Zodiac Sign: Virgo
- Date of Birth: 29 August 1964
- Place of Birth: Kenton, Kijabe, Kenya
- Birthday: 29 August
Tabitha Karanja Body Measurements
- Height / How Tall?: Around 5 feet 4 inches
- Weight: Moderate
Tabitha Karanja Family and Relationship
- Father (Dad): Not Known
- Mother: Not Known
- Siblings (Brothers and Sisters): Not Known
- Marital Status: Married
- Husband/Spouse: Married to Joseph Karanja
- Dating / Boyfriend: Not Applicable
- Children: Sons (Not Known) Daughter(s) (Known)
Tabitha Karanja Net Worth and Salary
- Net Worth: $10 million dollars
- Salary: Ksh. 510,000
- Source of Income: Businesswoman, Entrepreneur, Industrialist, Politician
Tabitha Karanja Career
Beginning in 1997, Tabitha and her husband, started making fortified wine, targeting the lower end of the market. In 2007, when the government enacted heavy taxes on locally-made wines, her product was priced out of the market.
She switched to manufacturing ready-to-drink gin and vodka, which her state-of-the-art factory still makes today. In 2008, she added beer to her repertoire of alcoholic drinks, beginning with a brand called “Summit”.
In 2013, the factory began expansion plans to increase beer production from 60,000 bottles per day to 600,000 bottles per day. The refurbished plant, which cost KSh5 billion (US$55.5 million), was commissioned by Adan Mohammed, the Cabinet Secretary for Industrialisation, on 31 March 2015.
Tabitha Karanja Keroche Breweries CEO
Tabitha Karanja, the founder and managing director of Keroche Breweries Ltd, has single-handedly run the company since its inception nearly 15 years ago as a small brewery. It is now a Ksh 1.5 billion ($17.6 million) turnover company with a growing local market share.
She has survived tough competition from East African Breweries and launched more brands after investing Ksh. 100 million ($1.2 million) in boosting production capacity. She is now seeking expansion in East and Central Africa and her dream is to cover the whole of Africa.
Tabitha Karanja Profile
Tabitha Karanja ventured where few people before had dared, taking on a decades-long business monopoly and overcoming gender stereotypes to become a major player in her country’s lucrative drinks industry.
As chief executive of Keroche Breweries, Tabitha has paved the way for many other female entrepreneurs in Kenya, a country where women are traditionally scarce in the boardrooms, and even rarer in million-dollar startups.
Against all odds, the 48-year-old entrepreneur has painstakingly turned the first Kenyan-owned brewery into a lucrative business. In the process, she had to succeed where others had tried and failed in the face of an entrenched monopoly: East African Breweries.
“People thought it was not possible to break the monopoly of the existing company that was there because it has been there for 80 years,” says Karanja, who launched her company’s first beer product, called Summit, in 2008.
“People thought it was normal for us to have only one company in this country,” she adds. “I was too determined and said ‘no’ — I have traveled many other parts of the world and I saw there is no country that had only one brewery; people had many choices so I said that I have to go forward and let the people decide.”
Karanja’s journey in Kenya’s drinks industry started in 1997 when she started a fortified wine business aimed at the lower end of the market. For the next 10 years, she came up against big names in Kenya’s wine industry, but in 2007, taxes imposed on alcohol manufacturing made it difficult to keep prices low.
Karanja says the hikes made her product too expensive for her target customers, forcing her to stop producing fortified wine. But instead of bowing out of the industry, Karanja came up with a new product.
“So there I thought again and said, ‘what do we do for this same market?’ And that is how we came up with ready-to-drink vodka. We make it ready-mixed to precision for moderate drinking,” she says. “Since then the market has always been opening up and has been growing into this new drink.”
Today, the company’s brand new, the state-of-the-art factory produces 10,000 bottles of gin and ready-to-drink vodka, as well as 15,000 bottles of beer, per hour. Although the company only holds about 5% of the country’s market share, Karanja says the demand for Keroche’s products outweighs the supply.
“Before the end of this year we laid the foundation stone of expanding the brewery to ten-fold of whatever we have now,” she says.
“The support of the Kenyans has kept me going all this time because I think that without their support it would have been very hard for anybody to continue doing the business,” adds Karanja. “If we support one another, Kenyans, Africans, we’ll be able to do even bigger than what the multinationals can do.”
Tabitha, a mother of four, says that startups are common in Kenya, but few survive the harsh business environment. She adds that it takes too long to start a business in Kenya, giving international competitors an advantage in the marketplace.
“There is a problem because they have not created an enabling environment to do business in this country,” she says.
As a successful entrepreneur in a typically male-dominated world, Karanja says the lack of female executives in her country and beyond is rooted in the way girls are often brought up.
“Even for a young girl all she thinks is to get married, get children to take care of the husband,” she says. “But if our culture can change that — ‘yes, you’ll get married, get your children, but also there is something else that you need to do: you need to develop your country in one way or the other.
“Women have always believed that it is men who are supposed to do that … so for me what we can do is challenge the women to think further and to believe that we can do even better than men.”
A model for aspiring young entrepreneurs across Kenya, Karanja’s business skills and efforts to liberalize the country’s industry were recognized in 2010 with an award from the president of Kenya.
“I felt good, not because of me, but because of our people here,” she explains. “I thought it would motivate the people, the Kenyans, and show them that even if you work very hard, struggle, meet all those challenges, at the end of it there’ll be somebody who will recognize you.”
Tabitha Karanja UDA
Tabitha Karanja, Keroche Breweries CEO is the Nakuru County Senator, since the August 2022 general election under United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party.
The Keroche boss was declared the winner after garnering 98,439 votes. Mr. Gichanga Daniel came second with 12,240 votes ahead of Mr Andrew Yatich (8,043) and Mr Ndirangu James Mukami who got 5,303 votes. She expressed confidence in delivering the senate seat to the UDA party
“With the support of our people and the party I am ready to face my competitors from the other parties, and I am sure to deliver the seat,” said Ms Karanja. The losers, who had earlier claimed that the results were manipulated, later conceded defeat.
Mr Andrew Yatich came third in the senatorial race had earlier in the day rejected the results which claimed had been rigged in favor of Ms. Karanja. He, however, promised to support the party and work with Ms Karanja.
Nakuru Woman Representative Liza Chelule also won the UDA party ticket after garnering 86,344 votes against her main opponent Jenniffer Kajuju who got 56022 votes. Ms Flora Kiprop came third with 25,955 votes.
The two were issued with the provisional nomination certificates after the tallying of results from the 11 constituencies in the county.
Ms Chelule thanked the voters and asked those she defeated to support her as she seeks to deliver the seat to the party.
“I want to thank my two sisters for conceding defeat and accepting to walk with us in this journey. I also ask them for their support and I promise to hold their hands in their political journeys,” said Ms Chelule.
County Returning Officer Joshua Murgor said the nominations were conducted in a free fare and transparent manner.
Tabitha Karanja House
Tabitha resides in Naivasha, Kenya. Tabitha Keroche founder, said they started the company with KSh 500,000 and two vehicles they initially owned Karanja said they first vacated the piece of land they were staying on in Naivasha, Nakuru county to give space for the investment. Consequently, the Keroche boss said they moved to Nairobi where they rented a house as they were not able to buy one.
Tabitha Karanja Award
In 2010, she was honored by President Mwai Kibaki with a Moran of Burning the Spear (MBS) award for her great contribution to liberalizing Kenya’s alcohol market. Mrs. Karanja was born in Kenton, Kijabe.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tabitha Karanja
Tabitha Karanja is a widely known Kenyan businesswoman, entrepreneur, politician, and industrialist. She is presently serving as the Senator of Nakuru County on the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket.
Karanja is a Kenyan national born on August 29, 1964, in Kenton, Kijabe, Kenya.
Karanja stands at a height of around 5 feet 4 inches.
Yes, Tabitha is married to Joseph Karanja. The couple is a proud parent of four children; James Karanja (serves as the Chairman of Keroche Breweries Limited), Anerlisa Muigai, Edward Muigai, and Tecra Muigai.
Price has an approximate net worth of $10 million dollars. This amount has been accrued from his leading roles in the business industry.
Karanja receives a monthly basic salary of around Ksh. 510,000 as the Senator of Nakuru County.
Because of personal reasons, Karanja has not shared his precise location of residence. We will update this information if we get the location and images of his house.
Tabitha is alive and in good health. There have been no reports of her being sick or having any health-related issues.
Karanja is presently serving as the Senator of Nakuru County on the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket.
Tabitha Karanja Contacts
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