Lifting Kenyan flag higher than a kite can fly

By Ally Jamah

At that crack of dawn on December 12, 1963, Kisoi Munyao made history when he hoisted Kenya’s flag on top of the snow-capped peaks of Mount Kenya.

Forty-seven years on, the national colours are about to be thrust hundreds of kilometers into the outer space, thanks to a 28- year old billionaire.

Later this month, millions of television watchers worldwide will watch the Kenyan flag fly in the space as Ashish Thakkar blasts off to space on a Virgin galactic spaceship.

"This is a proud moment for me to take the Kenyan flag to space. I am happy that I will play a modest role in promoting Kenya to millions of people in a positive way," he gushed when he arrived in the country this week.

Kenyan flag

Ashish Thakkar with Prime Minister Raila Odinga and his father Jagdish Thakkar this week. [PHOTOS: COLLINS KWEYU/STANDARD]

Edge Of Space

Last December, the twin-fuselage spacecraft was unveiled in Los Angeles amid a media frenzy and is designed to speed tourists to the edge of the space. Pilots will then fire up a rocket engine that blast the tourists deeper into the space.

Amazing as it is, Thakkar’s space journey is just another page in his many achievements

When he was only 16, he started his first business selling computers before proceeding into manufacturing. For more than 15 years, he ran Riley Industries in Uganda before migrating to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

In Dubai, Thakkar co-founded the Kesington Group, a real estate firm with interests in United Kingdom, Uganda, Ghana and India.

Through it, he rose to international fame when the company constructed the 36-storey commercial tower labelled by a leading architects’ magazine as "The Gem of Dubai Maritime City".

He was caught in the crossfire in a civil war in Rwanda and narrowly escaped a hurricane in Miami.

Through his foundation Kenya is expected to benefit from Thakkar’s philanthropy, which focuses on improving quality of secondary education especially in disadvantaged communities.

Asked to reveal his secrets of becoming a billionaire before age 30, Thakkar smiled easily. He is obviously more comfortable speaking about business than his escapade into space.

Persistence

"The most important thing is to think outside the box and work on new ideas or new ways of doing the same thing. Copying others won’t take you far," he counselled, adding: "Another thing is to be persistent. Challenges and setbacks will always be there but the trick is to keep marching forward until you reach your desired destination," he added.

But the most important quality in making it big in business is integrity. So, how does he sum up his life? "I work, play and pray hard."