Billionaire Heiress Mary-ann Musangi Tapped To Lead Kenya's Tourism Rebrand

Mary-Ann Musangi, daughter of the late Kenyan billionaire Chris Kirubi, was appointed Friday to lead the governments high-profile drive to rebrand Kenyas tourism image. Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano announced Musangi would chair a 23-member task force charged with overhauling the Magical Kenya brand, repositioning the country as a youth-driven, innovation-led global destination rooted in sustainability and tech-savvy marketing. Musangi, who serves as managing director of Haco Industries, will be joined by Monali Shah as vice-chair, and Grace Wangui Kamau and Fatuma Huka as joint secretaries. Among the other members are June Chepkemei, chief executive of the Kenya Tourism Board hotelier Mohammed Hersi creative professional Fakii Liwali Simaloi Dajom, head of broadcasting at Nation Media Group and Serah Katusya, CEO of Belva Digital. In a gazette notice issued on Aug. 15, 2025, the ministry said the team will spend the next year reviewing how Kenya is viewed as a tourist destination and comparing its performance with top global markets. The task force is expected to design a fresh branding strategy tied to national goals like Vision 2030 and the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda. Members will report directly to Cabinet Secretary Miano and deliver a final report outlining recommendations and a step-by-step plan for implementation. A steward of her fathers legacy Musangi inherited a substantial share of her fathers business empire upon Chris Kirubis passing in 2021. Along with her brother, Robert Kirubi, she received about 80 of his estate, including a 31 stake in Centum Investment Company, and interests in KCB Group, Haco Industries, Capital Media Group, Bendor Estate and other real estate, media, manufacturing and financial concerns. During her tenure, Centum Real Estate has put up thousands of new homes in East Africa. In Nairobi, the company has added high-end apartments at the Loft Residences and pushed ahead with mixed-use projects like the Two Rivers Social City. The companys asset base has expanded to nearly Ksh40 billion, and it has strengthened its financial footing through a historic real estate bond listing on the Nairobi Securities Exchange. Before assuming full control, Musangi had already been deeply involved in the familys enterprises, both as a board director at entities such as Sidian Bank and Haco Industries, and in senior roles at multinational firms including Coca-Cola, GlaxoSmithKline, KCB and Ogilvy Mather. Her appointment to lead the tourism rebranding effort is seen as a strategic move to inject private-sector dynamism and creative vision into one of Kenyas most important economic sectors.