Leah Wambui, the founder of Cheriez Properties, is a name synonymous with determination and innovation in Kenya’s real estate industry.
One of her most remarkable achievements is the development of 200 stunning housing units in Kitengela, a growing suburb on the outskirts of Nairobi.
Her journey, however, is one of resilience, strategic thinking, and unyielding faith.
Wambui’s entrepreneurial inclinations can be traced back to her childhood.
“I grew up in an entrepreneurial family – my parents were businesspeople – and I admired that,” she shared in an interview. But it was her aunt who left the deepest imprint on her life.
“But there is one person I admired throughout my life and that was my aunt. When my mum passed on when I was 16, she took me in,” Wambui revealed.
The aunt, a distributor of consumer goods, provided a nurturing environment where Wambui honed essential business skills.
It was during visits to her shop that Wambui learned the ropes of trade and customer relations, lessons that would later prove invaluable.
After high school, Wambui’s plans for university were derailed by financial challenges.
“After high school, I was to go to campus but I dropped out because there were no resources and I got a job as a receptionist. That’s where I started,” she said.
Her determination saw her quit the receptionist job to start her own venture with financial help from her aunt. At just 24, she launched a wines and spirits outlet in Kiambu.
“I joined many chamas and borrowed Ksh 100,000, added Ksh 40,000, and bought a car for Ksh 140,000,” Wambui explained.
With this car, she established a distributorship business that laid the groundwork for her real estate aspirations.
The idea to venture into real estate came as Wambui dreamed of creating homes for families.
“I wanted some big land…. where I could put up nice family homes where kids can go out and play,” she shared.
She set her sights on five acres of land in Kitengela but faced skepticism from the seller.
“[The landowner] first dismissed me. He did not think that I was serious. He was selling five acres and I wanted three acres. I talked with him and it took too long. I would pay him some money as we talked, and by the time we concluded the talks I finished buying the five acres,” Wambui recounted.
To fund the ambitious project, she and her husband sold their house, liquidated shares, and pooled their savings.
This courageous gamble marked the beginning of what is now known as Royal Finesse.
The journey to establish Royal Finesse was anything but smooth.
Initially, Wambui started with 10 houses, assuming they would sell quickly.
“I thought that I’d manage to sell the houses within a very short time. I got into a rude shock! It became difficult to convince people that the project was viable,” she admitted.
By 2016, financial woes mounted as they struggled to complete even the first 10 houses.
“The money got finished and we had not finished building, and we had not sold any houses. Stress checked in! I could not even pay my workers. People kept saying ‘the houses are beautiful, but who is going to buy a Sh17 million house in Kitengela?” She recalled.
In a desperate attempt to market her project, Wambui flew to London to pitch to potential clients in churches.
Unfortunately, she returned empty-handed. “Of course, I came back without a single sale,” she confessed.
As her resources dwindled, Wambui was on the verge of giving up in September 2016. But then, fortune smiled upon her.
“I got a client who deposited the first deposit of Sh8 million. After a day I got another client who paid a million and would pay a million every two days. By the end of the week, I got another one who paid Ksh 7.5 million. Before the end of that week, I had received over Sh16 million in deposits. I could not believe it,” she said.
With newfound funds, construction resumed.
“We went back full swing and I told the contractor, ‘Let’s get moving.’ By Christmas of 2016, we had houses to give,” Wambui said with pride.
The success of the initial houses inspired Wambui to scale up.
“Come January I told my contractor, ‘Excavate! We are doing more.’ He said, ‘Mama, how many houses?’ I said 28. He said, ‘What! We could not do 10 houses; now you want us to do 28 – more than double?’ I said, ‘Do it. Excavate.’ He said, ‘Do you have money?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ Of course, we didn’t have money. I was operating by faith,” she revealed.
The bold move paid off, resulting in 78 semi-detached five-bedroom townhouses, each with a detached servant quarter.
Building on this momentum, Wambui launched Royal Gates Kitengela, a gated community of 78 four-bedroom townhouses.
