Joseph Mutie Mule
Joseph Mutie Mule, Kenyan retail chief has spent the past decade turning Mulley’s Supermarket from a Machakos family outlet into one of the country’s fastest-growing chains. Since taking the helm as CEO, he has rolled out a hub-and-spoke logistics model that lets village branches tap the buying power of city stores, pushing prices down while keeping shelves stocked with fresh produce and locally manufactured staples. The network now spans dozens of towns along the Nairobi–Mombasa corridor and into the Rift Valley, giving small suppliers a national showcase and generating more than 3 000 jobs.
Mule pairs expansion with purpose. Through the Mulley’s Foundation he has overseen the donation of 1 000 rain-harvesting tanks to rural schools and health centres, cutting clinic water-borne infections and freeing pupils, especially girls, from daily walks to rivers. Disaster-relief drives funnel unsold stock to drought-hit counties within 24 hours, and an in-store recycling scheme has diverted tonnes of plastic from landfills. Next on his agenda are solar-powered mini-markets for off-grid areas and a farmer-direct digital marketplace that will shave further margins between field and checkout. For Mule, retail success is measured not only in turnover but in the everyday dignity affordable goods and clean water bring to the communities he serves.