From questinable age difference to billions of investment, former TPF star, Steve Nyabwa and wife speak out

Pulse: You had a highly-publicised Sh5 million wedding that was meant to be a low-key affair. Why did you endeavour to keep your wedding private?

Lydia: I don’t like the limelight. I am a very private person. However, it ended up making headlines as one of the invited guests decided to share the card on social media and soon the mainstream media got wind of it.

Pulse: The mainstream media refers to you (Lydia) with only your first name and paints the picture of an older, rich and sophisticated lady with money to splurge. Who is Lydia?

Lydia: I was born and bred in Nairobi. I started working at AAR from a very junior position and rose through the ranks over the years to Country Sales Manager for Burundi and Eastern Congo but based in Rwanda. I later joined TNT Worldwide Express as the Country Sales Manager for Kenya. Today, we have founded our own consultancy firm, SLI International under which we do consultancy, supplies and real estate.

Pulse: You seem to have quite the successful career. Do you suppose that’s the reason there was a backlash, with the perception being that you were a rich sugar-mummy?

Lydia: Yes. But if you look at me, am I not beautiful? Am I not good enough to have a handsome man like my husband? They are quick to judge. What they don’t know is that he had it rough.

Steve: Ian (Lydia’s son) always asks me about the hardest thing I have ever had to accomplish in my life and I tell him it taking her mum out for a date.

Lydia: The success I have had is God-given. There is this fake notion that since I’m older than him and have a very lucrative career that’s why we are together. He had to prove himself. I didn’t even come with my German machine when I went out for the first date with him. I wanted to see what he was all about without the money factor being involved. I will have you know that he bought me the latest Mercedes E350 from his own pocket to prove that he can take care of both of us. He has changed a lot of other things in my life as well.

Pulse: Like what?

Lydia: I used to spend Sh60,000 on monthly grocery shopping.

Steve: Now that has been reduced to Sh8,000. She used to go buy vegetables in fancy upmarket places. I told her about City Market where she could get fresh vegetables at favourable prices.

Pulse: Where did you get the money for the car?

Steve: I participated in the Ukraine, Crimea Festival in late 2011 alongside other Kenyan musicians including Amani. The pay was good. I got 20,000 US dollars (Sh1.84m).

Pulse: How old is your son?

Lydia: Ian is 18 years old. He just started flying school. I had him with my first love while I was still in college. The relationship did not work out and that’s when I decided to concentrate all my energy on my profession.

Pulse: How old are you?
Steve: We have a six-year difference between us. I am 32 and my wife is 38.

Pulse: Steve, we haven’t heard from you in a while since you left Tusker Project Fame (TPF), what happened?

Steve: I had quite a successful run after TPF. I performed at a number of paid-for gigs. However, I soon realised that I was bringing very little back home of the Sh100,000 that I was getting paid.

Pulse: How so?

Steve: I had to pay the band and their fares and accommodation, expenses which most promoters are not willing to take care of. Not to mention hiring the band equipment, ensuring I looked good with the right attire and all. I had to start recording new songs and it cost money to book studio sessions.

Pulse: So where did you do after realising you were not making money?

Steve: I sat down with my then girlfriend, Lydia and she made me see the sense in looking for other opportunities.

Lydia: Before I could commit I wanted details, what were his plans, what was his future. I gave him that challenge.

Pulse: How did you overcome that challenge?

Steve: I must say that everything has a way of working out. Without being in TPF, I couldn’t have accessed Ida Odinga’s office that easily with the secretary recognising who I was. I went in and managed to get a deal through an international dairy franchise that I started with Lydia.

Lydia: I had got wind of all these business opportunities when working for these international firms but couldn’t engage in them because of the contractual restraints. So I connected him to the necessary clientele and suppliers to get the business started.

Pulse: Tell us more about the real estate business...

Steve: Yes. We had been buying and selling off land for a while and when found 100 acres next to Daystar University in Athi River we thought about doing something big with it. We have already acquired a loan from the bank and we will be doing the development in four phases of housing, churches, schools and a commercial centre consisting of a shopping mall and hotels.

Pulse: What is the total cost of the project?
Steve: It will cost about US 120 million dollars, that’s over Sh10 billion and will take seven to ten years to complete.