Chris Kirwa’s journey from humble origins to his current business enterprise has been fraught with both successes and failures.
In an interview, the events guru opened up on his career journey, detailing how he worked his way up at the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) motivated by a desire to thrive in events management.
Kirwa was raised by a single mother who died when he was 17 years old, and he moved from Nakuru to Nairobi to begin his search for money.
While working on several money-making initiatives, he applied for a job with the national broadcaster, and after months of unsuccessfully seeking a position, management offered him the opportunity to volunteer at the station.
“I’d do manual chores at the station until one day there was an opening when one of the presenters on the KBC English Service shows failed to show up and they needed someone. I jumped on that opportunity, and that’s how I started presenting at the station,” he said.
Kirwa described how he lived in a house and transformed his curtains into bedsheets at night.
“I felt depressed but had no idea what depression was. I had crazy ulcers, no food at times, and hot water and some sugar for dinner,” he explained.
He also mentioned that his colleagues would offer to purchase him tea and mandazi from the station’s canteen.
“So here I was, a celebrity on radio, no money and boarding matatus a few guys would recognize me and laugh wondering how come I was in a matatu,” he noted.
Kirwa didn’t make much money at the position, earning about Ksh 9,000 because the company provided food and transportation for assignments.
He claimed that he spent a portion of his modest wages on a television so he could see how events are organized.
“I used to watch the Olympics, Diamond League, Oscars, Grammy Awards and take notes of how they were set up and got a few tips on that,” he stated.
Kirwa stated that his big break occurred while he was running a restaurant and a beer business was looking to market a product.
His eagerness to promote the product earned him a position as operations manager at an events firm, allowing him to travel to a variety of nations.
In 2016, Kirwa founded CateChris Limited, an events company, with his wife Cate Kirwa, who he claims registered it.
He asserted that he was in charge of the business’s operations, while his wife handled customer management, public relations and hospitality.
