James Mworia The one book that changed the life of one of Kenya's best paid CEOs — and he highly recommends you read

The one book that changed the life of one of Kenya's best paid CEOs — and he highly recommends you read

david nganga

June 29, 2018 6:50 PM

Mworia is also one of the best paid senior executives in Kenya

Reading is considered to be the finest education for the soul.

As a matter of fact, some of the most successful people in the world attribute their success to this habit.

A good book can inspire, challenge and amuse you. Sometimes, it can even change your whole perspective on life.

James Mworia, a Kenyan lawyer, accountant and business executive knows this all too well.

Mr Mworia is the CEO of Centum, an East African investment company with interests in a variety of sectors, including energy, real estate, financial services and fast-moving consumer goods.

His success journey is nothing short of remarkable having joined Centum as a 23-year-old intern but rose to the CEO rank seven years later.

Youngest CEO

At 40 years old, Mr Mworia is one of Kenya's youngest CEO earning a monthly salary of Sh16.9 million or about Sh202million ($2m) a year.

And he has one particular book to thank for his success.

"How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. I have probably reread it 30 times," he told the Daily Nation newspaper in a past interview.

He said the book taught him how to interact with people besides making a positive impact among them.

"This book me taught me to be more patient and sophisticated in how I deal with people."

"I’d recommend it for every young person starting off in life, because how you interact with those you come across will determine whether you succeed or not – to succeed, you need to work with others," he said.

The self-help book was published in 1936 and has sold over 30 million copies world-wide, making it one of the best-selling books of all time.