Tabitha Karanja: Brewing with confidence

By Antony Gitonga

For close to 90 years, no Kenyan dared enter the beer market. Termed as one of the most lucrative industries in the country, the sector was treated with awe even by the rich and mighty of the land, leaving it to the multinationals to reign free.

It took one woman, Tabitha Mukami Muigai-Karanja, to jump into the dreaded ‘unfair playing ground’, for the ground to move and she, to take her rightful place in the industry. At 45 years, Tabitha as she is commonly known is the CEO, Keroche Breweries, the first ever beer factory to be owned by a Kenyan.

Tabitha Mukami Muigai, the Chief Executive Officer, Keroche Breweries.

Tabitha was oftentimes reduced to tears as powerful individuals both in and out of government fought her using all crude methods at their disposal. She wept when some politicians, either out of malice or misinformation, went out publicly and urged members of the public to ignore her products; she wept when powerful government operatives knocked on her door demanding exorbitant amounts of money and even temporarily closed her business.

"The most difficult time was in 2003 when over 10 depots in Central Province were raided by the provincial administration," she says.

She nearly gave up as some people embarked on a smear campaign to bring down her emerging empire. But instead of bringing her down, this motivated her and even made her strong and ready to venture into any business.

Tabitha has been in and out of courts so many times in a bid to protect her empire from competitors who feel threatened by her emergence.

She has watched her business grow from a small three-roomed factory with five employees to a state of the art brewery employing hundreds of Kenyans.

Her motto, ‘Truly Kenyan’, sums up all her efforts and vision.

Tabitha in her Naivasha office. The first Kenyan to own a beer factory, Tabitha knows too well what it means to break ground and steer ahead in the face of stiff opposition.

She had by and large penetrated the local market until 2007 when unexplained tax raise forced her out of the wine business.

"Then Minister for Finance introduced punitive taxes for fortified wines and we had to move to brandy, gin and Vodkas," she explains.

Not one to be intimidated by the new directives, she decided to tackle the bull by the horn, by announcing that Keroche Breweries was going into beer manufacturing.

And so on October 24, last year, Keroche Breweries launched Summit Lager in a ceremony graced by Prime Minister, Raila Odinga.

"After so much pain and sleepless nights, my dream had been achieved and this was the best day in my life," she says as she breaks into a smile.

A light moment as Tabitha shares Summit beer with guests who toured Keroche Breweries recently. Photos: Anthony Gitonga/Standard