Kenneth Gitonga Mbae
Kenneth Gitonga Mbae is a Kenyan real-estate strategist who has turned dormant land banks into catalytic mixed-use cities. Armed with a BSc in Actuarial Science from JKUAT and an MBA in Strategic Management, he joined Centum Investments in 2011 as a graduate trainee and soon became deputy MD of Athena Properties, where he oversaw project controls for the 67-acre Two Rivers Development, including East Africa’s largest mall and the region’s first true smart-city infrastructure.
In 2018 Centum tapped him to lead Vipingo Development on Kenya’s north coast. The Flagship projects now include the 500-unit Palm Ridge affordable-housing estate, Vipingo Industrial Park, already home to King Plastics and Mombasa Cement, and an 18-hole coastal championship golf course under construction. The venture has generated 1,500 direct jobs and a further 4,000 in the local supply chain.
Mbae champions green building, targeting EDGE certification for all residential phases and piloting a 10-MW solar park to power common utilities. A board member of the Kenya Property Developers Association and mentor at Centum’s Graduate Centre, he continues to prove that visionary planning, robust infrastructure, and community partnerships can unlock inclusive growth from idle land.