Businessman: Partners ran me out of trucking firm

A co-founder of multi-million shilling logistics giant Multiple Hauliers has accused his former partners of running him out of the company barely nine years after going into the transport business, lifting the lid on what could be a buried secret of the company’s true beginnings.

FEAR KILLED

Mr Njenga Kariuki Mungai, an 84-year-old businessman based in Nairobi, claims that he was a crucial cog in the formation of Multiple Hauliers but was forced to surrender his stake after a visit by former Criminal Investigations Department boss Noah arap Too to the company’s Industrial Area offices in February 1982.

Mr Mungai alleged that as they were having lunch at the company’s mess Mr Too turned to greet someone seated behind him. Mr Mungai then noticed a gun holstered in Mr Too’s underarm, which the businessman took as credence to rumours that he was to be assassinated.

“When I saw the gun I panicked and thought that I could be killed even that same evening. I left my food and walked out. I drove straight home and decided that I was not going to risk my family’s lives,” Mr Mungai told the Nation at an interview in his California, Eastleigh, home in Nairobi. Efforts to reach Multiple Hauliers’ shareholders did not bear fruit.

Tarlochan Singh, whose number we were able to obtain, did not pick our calls or respond to text messages for several days.

The businessman showed photos they took with his former partners, Rajinder Singh Baryan (current Multiple Hauliers MD), Amrik Singh Heer and Tarlochan Singh Heer when they founded the logistics firm on December 16, 1976.

In those days, most Asians were not allowed to register such companies without a local partner.

OVERNIGHT MILLIONAIRES

The Nation has seen a copy of the business registration form lodged at the Registrar of Companies which has Mr Mungai’s name. It reads: “I hereby certify that a change of particulars has this day been registered in the register of business names in respect of the business name of Multiple Hauliers, which business name was originally registered on December 16, 1976 … Consequent on the registration of such change in particulars Amrik Singh Heer, Tarlochan Singh Heer, Njenga Kariuki Mungai and Rajinder Singh are now registered as carrying on the business at plot number 209/6857, Athi River Road, Nairobi.”

Interestingly, gazette notices from 1978 show that the postal address 41391, Nairobi, was registered to Mr Kariuki. That is the postal address that Multiple Hauliers uses to date. Before the formation of Multiple Hauliers, Mr Kariuki was a coffee dealer. A group of Kenyan and Ugandan traders became overnight millionaires owing to illegal coffee trade at the small town of Chepkube in Bungoma County between 1971 and 1988.

Mr Mungai and other traders would buy coffee at Chebukube and sell it to other businessmen who would export it.

He was in the business between 1973 and 1976 where he met Amrik, Tarlochan and Rajinder and they became friends.

By 1976, Mr Mungai had acquired 12 vehicles and a similar number of trailers. His focus was mainly Uganda and Rwanda.

RENT ARREARS

By 1978 Amrik, Tarlochan and Rajinder had 47 trucks through Amithoo Transporters and Safari Garage Limited, while Mr Mungai had 34 trucks and they were now working under the Multiple Hauliers name. Things went on well and Mr Mungai was able to buy a five acre farm in Karen and rent a house in Buru Buru. His first born, Duncan, now 43 years old, was attending Bora Primary School which was a preserve of the well off. 

Multiple Hauliers was also growing fast. The company acquired two pieces of land in 1980 for offices and warehouses in Nairobi and Mombasa.

A letter from the logistics firm to then Minister of State G. G. Kariuki requesting for land allocation in Industrial Area seen by the Nation was authored by Mr Mungai.

But after walking out of Multiple Hauliers in 1982, life became tough. One year later, Mr Mungai was evicted from his Buru Buru residence over rent arrears. He could no longer afford school fees so Duncan and his sisters Magdalene and Julia were forced to stay out of school for a year.

Why didn’t he go to court?

“If you don’t have money it is difficult to retain lawyers. Funds were limited and I also had to think about my family. In 1990 I could not afford rent so my family and I moved in with my sister in Huruma for a year before finally moving to this house (California, Eastleigh),” Mr Mungai holds.

Today, Mr Mungai does small brokerage jobs mostly for friends. His wife and daughter Magdalene sell groceries in Gikomba market.

Multiple Hauliers is today one of the biggest logistics firms in Kenya with a fleet of over 1,000 bright orange trucks with blue stripes.