Sportpesa Chief Executive Officer Ronald Karauri is the perfect epitome of a person born with a silver spoon in their mouth.
As a son to former Tigania Member of Parliament, the 44-year-old has lived life on the fast lane thanks to his affluent background.
But largely because of is exceptional acumen, ingenuity, tenacity and industriousness.
His love for poker, posh cars, basketball and cycling is on another level and he relishes engaging in them during his past time.
It was while in high school that he discovered his love for basketball which saw him soaring high to reach the schools national championship.
So great is his passion for cycling that he has cycling team with whom they enjoy a good riding adventure once in a while.
He also enjoys spending some good time at NBA2K on his playstation.
The betting firm CEO also describes himself as a car fanatic his favorite model being the Range Rover Overfinch.
“I am a car fanatic and I love driving different models, but my favourite is the Range Rover Overfinch. I love it because it’s comfortable and it has off-road capabilities,” he disclosed in an interview with a national news outlet.
According to him, he enjoys listening to hip-hop music with Jay-Z being his all-time favorite artist.
He also loves some Naija bits mostly from Tekno and D’ Banj.
Perhaps to follow in the footsteps of his father, the betting company CEO recently announced his maiden political voyage.
He will face off with the incumbent Mercy Gakuya, who has since expressed her motive to defend her position well as veteran rapper Jackson Ngechu popularly known as Prezzo for the hotly contested Kasarani parliamentary seat during the General Election which will be held in August.
Career
When it comes to Kenya’s corporate scene, the betting firm chief is no stranger at all.
Ronald’s career can be likened to a blockbuster series with all highs from the onstart.
Before co-founding the Sportpesa in 2014, the father of two had previously worked as a commercial pilot for a total of 11 years.
He tried his luck during the Kenya Airways (KQ) cadet recruitment process way back in 2000.
Lady luck smiled upon him and he was selected and sent for training in Ethiopia and his career progress has been on an upward trend since then.
He joined the national carrier, KQ after training and worked as a co-pilot for six years before being promoted to the position of a captain which he held for another five years.
In 2015, hang his boots at KQ and assumed the role of SportPesa’s chief, turning it into a multi-billion betting firm acclaimed nationally and internationally.
According to the magnate, his first encounter with SportPesa’s principal founder was by sheer coincidence.
He met with the Bulgarian Guerassim Nikolov, at a poker table at the Finix Casino located in Hurlingham, Nairobi in 2014.
Probably because of their shared love for poker, the duo clicked from the word go and their amaraderie fast developed into a strong bond.
“Poker has a way of revealing a person’s true character and on the Casino table I immediately knew I could trust Nikolov,”
“Poker deals its players different hands and different cards. You place bets then the best hand wins. Sometimes, you laugh at each other, but at the end of the day, the best hand wins,” reminisced Ronald in a past interview.
They met several times after that and fortified the idea of reviving the embattled firm which was on the verge of collapse.
He officially joined Sportpesa in January 2014, turning it into the top betting company not only in Kenya bit the entire East African region.
WEALTH
They say nothing good comes easy and the Sportpesa boss knows this only two well as he had to sell his land worth Ksh25 million in order to buy a 6 percent share of the company.
His efforts immensely paid off as the betting firm went on to attract top multibillion sponsorship deals with renowned English Premier League clubs such as Arsenal, Southampton, Hull City and Everton.
The young CEO ranks among the highest paid in Kenya with over Ksh12 million salary estimate excluding bonuses and allowances.
Karauri is also an astute business who had tried out several ventures before Sportpesa came calling.
He is the proud owner of Skylux Lounge, an opulent club in Westlands area, Nairobi.
Although he has vehemently denied it, word has it that the magnate acquired ownership of a Gulfstream Jet with an approximate worth Ksh3.8 billion.
What is more, his love for flashy cars and expensive watches is incomparable.
He boasts of a fleet of top of the range cars including a deluxe Range Rover Overfinch worth around Ksh Sh25 million, a Mercedes Mayback S600 as well as a Bentley Continental.
He has similar plates on all his cars from 777 to 888. This represents the Boeing 777 and 888 aircraft.
Apart from grand cars, Karauri owns high-powered motorbikes such as the Ducati and a plane.
Education
Born in Meru County, Karauri later moved to Nairobi to pursue his studies in Harambee Primary School, Buruburu due to the nature of his father’s work.
He performed exceptionally well and went on to join Mang’u High School for his secondary education.
Being a bright student, he excelled enrolled into the University of Nairobi to pursue a Mechanical Engineering Degree.
He did not complete his degree because at the time, an opportunity at Kenya Airways opened up and being not one to waste chances, Karauri signed up.
He dropped out in his third year in order to become a trained pilot, as he reveled in a past interview.
Wife and Children
Karauri is married to Ruth Karauri who is the mother to their three children, a son and two daughters.
Karauri and his wife met at the flying school where Ruth was a captain at KQ.
