Veteran radio host Maina Kageni has shared new insights into his life before fame, revealing that his career journey began in 1993, immediately after completing high school.
In an interview with Mpasho’s Kalondu Musyimi, the Classic 105 morning show presenter disclosed that his first job was at a company owned by his uncle, media mogul SK Macharia, the founder of Royal Media Services.
“I used to handle receipts at a credit card company called Royal Card, which belonged to my uncle, SK Macharia,” Maina said. “At the time, I was earning around Sh42,000 and had a company car. I had just finished high school—it was 1993.”
Education Journey and Academic Excellence
Maina revealed that he did not go through Kenya’s 8-4-4 system but instead studied under the British GCSE curriculum. History, especially topics like the French Revolution, was his favorite subject, while Mathematics was his least liked.
“8-4-4 wasn’t for me—I wasn’t wired for that kind of cramming,” he said. “I did GCSEs and was among the top five students in the country during my year.”
Despite excelling in high school, Maina’s university journey took an unexpected turn. He traveled to the UK with plans to pursue further education but ended up not attending university due to mismanagement of his school fees.
“I went to the UK for university, but my fees got lost somewhere between me and the entertainment scene,” he said with a laugh. “I never actually attended university. That really strained my relationship with my mom for a while. But even today, she’s still my favorite person—I grew up in Nairobi, and she’s my best friend.”
Hidden Talent and Love for Cars
In a surprising revelation, Maina disclosed that he has recorded music both in Kenya and the UK, though he chose not to perform the songs during the interview.
“Not many people know this, but I’ve recorded a few songs—different ones, here in Kenya and abroad. That was a past life, though, and I wouldn’t sing them now,” he said.
Today, Maina lives a life many dream of, including driving his dream car—the BMW X6 M Sport—one of three luxury vehicles he currently owns.
