Story of Said Abdalla Azubedi who lived in a slum in Nakuru County

Azubedi had amassed a lot of wealth in terms of real estates and businesses set up within the town.

Nakuru businessman Said Abdallah Azubedi (Courtesy) Pulse Live Kenya

For a wealthy man who was claimed to have owned half of Nakuru’s Central business district, he never had bodyguards or state of the art vehicles to accompany his status, his hair was always unkept and was always in a shirt and flops.

The business man who died at Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi two days ago, left a legacy not only with his achievements but also the lifestyle he adopted.

Property owned by Azubedi

The tycoon had invested into the real estate sector where he owned a dozen maisonettes in Mlimani Estate which is an area occupied by the town’s elite, tens of rental houses in Freehold, Langa Langa, Gikomba complex, which accommodates numerous business stalls and several commercial buildings in Nakuru’s CBD.

In addition, the deceased in his early years, had a soft drink and cigarette distribution center which was set up at his Bondeni home and supplied the goods to companies in places such as Baringo, Kericho, Nyandarua and Nakuru itself before he lost control of the distributorship in the early 2000s.

An overview of Nakuru town Pulse Live Kenya

Ali Azubedi, who is the younger brother to the business mogul, noted that his brother was a generous and down to earth man.

“He was the first born in the family. When my parents arrived here, he was only three years old.

He worked his way up and managed to set up a whole business that thrived and expanded into a soft drink and cigarette distribution before he moved to real estate after the business was discontinued,” remarked Ali.

Azubedi had a café next to the Shabab matatu stage where he spent his time at the place as a cashier.

Azubedi's poor like lifestyle

Often accompanied by handlers, Azubedi could easily be mistaken for an elderly employee at the small but busy restaurant.

Some of the buildings along Kenyatta Avenue in Nakuru town owned by the late Said Adallah Azubedi (Nation) Pulse Live Kenya

The 79-year-old would move about the town using his 1971 Peugeot 504 that looked like it would stop working from any moment due to its old age.

Despite all the wealth he had, the late Azubedi opted to live at the Bondeni slum where quarter of the houses in the slum were owned by him.

Tussle between Azubedi and the late Nakuru town MP Mirugi Kariuki

In 2003, the businessman was involved in a squabble with the late Nakuru town MP Mirugi Kariuki over a piece of land located next to the Nakuru wholesale market, that served as a trading area for small scale traders.

The late Nakuru town MP Mirugi Kariuki during a past public address Pulse Live Kenya

The conflict was however put to rest by the late Assistant Minister for Internal Security Orwa Ojode who stated that Azubedi was the rightful owner.

“The current owner of plot No LR Nakuru Municipality Block 10/97 is Mr Said Abdalla Azubedi,” remarked Ojode.

Azubedi who was buried at the Nakuru Muslim Cemetery on Tuesday, is survived by seven children and a widow identified as Washuka Samira, who is the second wife, as the first wife had passed on at an unknown time.