Managing Director David Mukuha: How we turned Naivas Supermarket into multi-billion retail business

The Kenyan retail sector still looks like a poisoned chalice, the exit of industry behemoths Nakumatt, Uchumi and Tuskys from the pinnacle of the industry still hard for many to take. In their place, though, sits Naivas, which was grown into a multi-billion-shilling business by David Mukuha and his late brother Simon Gashwe. With a staggering 70 branches in Kenya, Naivas is now the biggest retail chain in Kenya’s history.

While some of the powerhouses in the retail industry fell apart thanks to the owners’ family disputes, Naivas has managed to remain afloat. Naivas Managing Director Mukuha told The Nairobian that selling a 30 per cent minority stake to a consortium of investors in 2019 and raising Sh6 billion capital was one of the best business decisions they ever took, and one that has not only helped the retailer remain steadfast amid turbulence in the industry, but also expand as much as it has.