About the founder

Born and raised in Kenya, Esther Muchemi is one of the courageous African women who have broken records in the arena of business and investment. She is the Group CEO OF SAMCHI Group and the Chairlady of the Safaricom Dealers Association. She is a tenacious entrepreneur with a record of success in various industries in Kenya’s economy. Her entrepreneurship journey started when she quit a 20-year auditing career to open a shop that sold phones, sim-cards and airtime for Safaricom. Her peers ridiculed her as they could not gasp how anyone could resign from a prestigious job to become a shopkeeper!

Business

From that one shop, Esther has built a business empire with nearly a dozen companies. Today, Samchi group comprises of Samchi Telecommunications, Samchi Credit (a microfinance company), Samchi Heights (a real estate and property development company), After 40 Hotel, El-Roi Plaza, Heavenly Wings and virtual offices, Space International housed at  El Roi Plaza and Shikilia Stores.

Through her companies, Esther employs over 650 people. Esther is a bold Christian who openly applies her Christian faith in all her business dealings. She loves inspiring and mentoring young entrepreneurs in and outside Kenya.

Author

She is the author of the book Give me my mountain that details her courageous journey in value based entrepreneurship. She is passionate about impacting the next generation of business owners through mentoring and investing in their businesses. The book is a practical tool on how to envision what the purpose and calling of your life is, having the courage and boldness to pray and ask from the Lord and having the discipline to work diligently to bring it to fruition. It’s a highly recommended study for business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs and students who want to be inspired by the testimony of a business leader who has done it right and grown her wealth. It’s about balancing the important aspects in your life as you pursue your mountain.

Personal Life

Esther is a mother of two children, with whom she runs her businesses. She is a grandmother to one. She is a born again believer and is a member of Ridgeways Baptist Church. She is a staunch anti-corruption crusader and an advocate of value based living. Esther sees the market place as the largest church, where she says that she puts her faith into action. She also sees business as possibly the biggest space for influence. She believes that she has been called to leadership and influence the youth to teach them how to manage and run value based businesses through hard work, consistency and integrity.

Awards

She was a recipient of the 2017 Global Inspirational Women Leadership Award. The award was awarded by Centre for Economic and Leadership Development (CELD), an organisation in special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UN ECOSOC) and the National Organisation of Black Elected Legislative Women (NOBEL Women), USA; during The South America-Africa-Middle East-Asia Women Summit (SAMEAWS) 2017 in Dubai, UAE. In addition, Esther was also inducted into the Amazon’s 100 Global Women Leaders Hall of Fame 2017.