Meeting Khalif Kairo for the first time, it would be easy to assume that the founder of Imports By Kairo, an automotive sales company came from a wealthy family.
His deep knowledge and love for posh automobiles would make you think he grew up interacting with flashy cars.
Interestingly, that is not the case. Kairo comes from a humble family raised by a single mother in Kawangware, Nairobi.
At 24, the entrepreneur is one of the most popular car dealers in Kenya. Kairo, who is also studying aviation at Flight-Star Academy at Wilson Airport, says he had a passion for cars and aeroplanes while growing up.
“I had two inspirations since the age of three: cars and aeroplanes. My mum once took me to Wilson Airport to see aeroplanes.
That experience never left my mind since 2001. On cars, my dad inspired me.
Though he never stayed with mum, he would come to see me and take me for a ride in the car he was driving.
I was curious about what made this lifeless stuff move. Most of my childhood we lived near car garages.
I used to play there with my friends and socialise with the mechanics. That is where I got some exposure to motor vehicles,” he says.
Kairo joined Kahuho Uhuru High School in 2011 after a well-wisher offered to pay his school fees throughout his secondary school education.
His struggling mother could not afford to pay for his education. The well-wisher would also give him a job at his bakery as an errand boy upon completion of his secondary education in 2014.
He worked for just a month and saved some money to take himself to a driving school.
“In 2015, I started ‘tarmacking’ with an identification card and a driving licence.
My passion for cars would grow each day as I would see neighbours coming home with classy whips they were selling.
I had read more about cars and wanted to familiarise myself with them physically,” he says.
Kairo got his first job at a car yard at just 18 after getting rejected from more than five other places he sought employment.
Most bosses pre-judged him as a teasing minor and would advise him to go back to school. That never killed his dreams.
“One person in a car yard along Ngong Road almost punched me for asking for a job. He told me the place was not a job bureau.
I never lost hope. I went to a new car yard named Ocean Cross along Gatanga road.
Luckily, I met the managing director and for the first time, found someone who listened to me.
I confidently told him I wanted a job as a salesperson and he notified me to start working the following week,” he says.
Though Kairo made his first sale after 30 days, he says it was worth the wait since the car, a Nissan Primera 2005 model, had taken long to get a client. Kairo worked at Ocean Cross for two years and resigned to freelance.
During his stay at the yard, he learnt more about the business, built more networks and developed a soft spot for German cars.
“I wanted to grow more and felt like it was the best time for me to leave and go freelance, where you agree with the car owner on the selling price and earn through profit you make.
I was 20 at the time and I was expecting a son. So, I had no option, but to work hard.
However, freelance came with a huge challenge, where the car owner could fail to pay you after a deal,” he says.
In 2019, Kairo met a friend called Victor Clement, with whom he shared the same dreams of owning a car showroom.
Clement had more skills and was more experienced than Kairo in the industry.
He would give Kairo some cars to post on the Imports By Kairo social media platforms, which had already gained some traffic since Kairo started it in 2017.
In 2020, the business had developed and with time, they saw a need to have a physical showroom and an office.
“We went to four malls, but they never took us seriously since it is very unusual to set up a car showroom inside a mall.
It is quite expensive. We were lucky to get a spacious showroom inside the Diamond Plaza in Parklands, Nairobi.
Having a showroom in a posh area guarantees that your product will get to sell,” he says. The office infrastructure alone cost them over Sh4 million.
While Covid-19 pandemic has negatively affected the country’s economy and resulted in shutdown of businesses, for Kairo, things were different. He says their breakthrough came.
Imports by Kairo specialises in imports of German cars sourced from dealers in Singapore, Japan and the United Kingdom.
“We source from everywhere, but we prefer dealing with small companies around the world.
It enables you to control quality and in most cases, you deal with the direct dealer which is cheaper than going for the brokers,” he says.
Kairo admits he is more biased toward Audi than the other cars since it appeals to the younger generation and is good at performance.
They saw a niche in the market for Audi and BMW as most Kenyan dealers were giving more attention to the Mercedes Benz.
They also deal with the other brands such as Volkswagen, Volvo, Porsche and many more.
Their biggest challenge nonetheless, is the abnormal custom duty and the high taxes charged by the Kenya Revenue Authority.
Favourable taxes
“Establishing a business in Kenya as a young person is as if you have called for chaos with the taxman.
We are overtaxed. It would be fair if used car dealers are taxed the same way as the other big ones such as DT Dobie.
Used cars control 90 per cent of the car market in Kenya, so the government should protect our businesses since we are the majority.
Instead of hiking taxes, the government should broaden the area and let a bigger population share the fee to make it cheaper,” he says.
He says from the business he has learnt patience, discipline and the ability to understand that people are different.
“You should be ready to see things from other perspectives,” he advises.
He encourages people who want to get into such a business to interact with other car dealers in bid to understand the market and what it takes before they risk.
They should also note that it take times, and they must, therefore, be patient.
Currently, the father of one has employed eight workers in his business and is looking to grow more in the coming years by setting up a showroom in Singapore.
He wants to leave a legacy by helping Kenyans efficiently shop for cars from abroad.
“We want to go global and solve the problems East African countries have had with luxury cars.
We also want to venture into selling car parts and maintenance to create more employment opportunities ,” he says.
Kairo believes that his strong faith in God, his honesty and his son are what inspires him every day since he wants to give him the good life.
Unceremonial exit
Yesterday, the car plug announced that he had exited the company to focus on his new brand – Kai & Karo.
“Effective three weeks ago, I made the decision to resign as the CEO of Imports by Kairo and also ceded all my shareholding due to personal reasons, this means that the company is now under new management.
Going forward from 1st october 2022. I will be trading under the name Kai & Karo limited ( Kai & Karo ) with a new office location set to be announced soon.
I no longer have any affiliation with @ImportsbyKairo going forward and the company will rebrand to a new trading name soon. This transition process will not affect any pending transactions initiated before 1st october 2022,” he announced on social media platforms.
It appeared like the breakup with other partners was ugly since the Company released statement denouncing him.
How he lost the company to partners
