Njeri Rionge: Kenyan Entrepreneur Feted By Forbes Dies

Rionge was known as one of Kenya's most successful and revered serial entrepreneurs who co-founded multi-million dollar companies in quick succession

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Oct 3, 2023 - 11:56
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Njeri Rionge: Kenyan Entrepreneur Feted By Forbes Dies
Collage image of the late Kenyan techpreneur, Njeri Rionge. /JOE MUCHERU.X

Celebrated Kenyan entrepreneur and tech icon Njeri Rionge, who founded Wananchi Online, a pioneer Internet Service Provider (ISP), is dead.

Rionge was known as one of Kenya's most successful and revered serial entrepreneurs who co-founded multi-million dollar companies in quick succession, including East Africa's first mass-market internet service provider, Wananchi Group, which owns Zuku.

Her demise was announced on Tuesday, October 3 by former ICT Cabinet Secretary Joseph Mucheru who wrote "Goodbye Njeri. We will miss you greatly" on X (formerly Twitter), the first official announcement of her demise, having worked with her at Wananchi Online.

Even though the family later confirmed the demise of Rionge, details regarding the cause of death were not immediately known by the time of publishing this article.

Image of the late techpreneur, Njeri Rionge. /THE TIMES OF AFRICA

Viral Tea takes a look at the life and times of the late serial entrepreneur:

Njeri Rionge was born as the first child in a family of five. Her mother was a farmer who introduced her to the concept of buying and selling at an early age.

She started her first business at the age of 20 by selling yoghurt to her classmates while schooling at the International School of Kenya (LSK) and Loretto Convent Msongari High School before moving to Canada for further studies.

According to her LinkedIn profile, she holds a degree in Business Administration and Management from the United States International University- Africa (USIU).

Rionge's sharp rise in the business world has been occasioned by grit as well as an eye for opportunities that she set up while she was young and building into an enviable career.

“As a twenty-year-old, my first business involved selling yoghurt to the International School of Kenya and Loreto Convent Msongari High School over their 10 am and 4 pm school breaks.

"I sold the yoghurt from the car trunk which belonged to a friend of mine with whom I had partnered. We picked up the yoghurt from a farm in Limuru at 6 am and returned back every second day for more stock,” she told Forbes in 2011.

Throughout this period, she was employed as a hairdresser with a clientele consisting largely of high-net-worth individuals.

Recognizing yet another opportunity, she travelled to London, United Kingdom (UK) on a regular basis using discounted courier tickets to purchase re-sale luxury merchandise which was not available in Kenya at the time. 

"I create companies serially because I believe that Africa is the next economic frontier and we must build indigenous organizations that will support this growth," Rionge told the publication regarding her relentless founding of companies.

They include:

  • Wananchi Online: a leading multi-million dollar internet service provider in East Africa.
  • Ignite Consulting: a business consultancy firm.
  • Insite Limited: a marketing and public relations firm.
  • Business Lounge: a co-working space for entrepreneurs.
  • Njeri Rionge Business Consulting Inc.: a business advisory and financial services firm

Ignite Consulting, a firm that specializes in 'coaching, strategy facilitation and organizational effectiveness' is also one of Njeri's most successful creations, among many other companies. 

Rionge played a key role in Wananchi Group's success. Her focus on providing affordable and reliable internet services to the mass market helped her to grow Wananchi Group into one of East Africa's leading providers of internet and satellite TV services.

She also held key board positions, demonstrating her multifaceted involvement in influential organizations such as Unilever Tea (Brooke Bond Kenya), the Institute of Directors (Kenya), the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the East African Tea Trade Association (EATTA), Ambulance Air Rescue (AAR) Holdings, and Wananchi Group.

She was also an advisory committee member of Sport at the Service of Humanity at the Vatican.

Njeri Rionge has received numerous awards and recognition for her work. She was named one of Africa's most successful women by Forbes in 2011.

In 2012, she was awarded the Order of the Grand Warrior (OGW) by the late former President Mwai Kibaki for her contribution to entrepreneurship and women's empowerment.

Njeri Rionge during a past interview. /WEETRACKER

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