Kiambu is rated among the wealthiest counties in Kenya.
Due to its close proximity to Nairobi, the county boasts of good infrastructure and several big industrial towns like Thika, Kiambu, Juja and Ruiru. The county is home to some of the wealthiest families in the country which include: 1. The Koinange familyThe family hails from Kiambaa Constituency in Kiambu County. It has descended from Senior Chief Koinange Wa Mbiyu who was a prominent chief during the colonial times. The chief's children served as civil servants in independent Kenya and his eldest son, Mbiyu Koinange, served as Kiambaa Constituency MP and cabinet minister from 1963 to 1979. He had a lot of wealth which range from land in different regions of the country. The family also owns several companies through shareholding including Koinange Investments and Development Limited, Limuru dairies, British American Tobacco among others. 2. Njenga Karume’s familyNjenga Karume was a Kenyan politician and businessman. He was born in 1929 in Elementaita, Nakuru District. Since there were no schools for Africans in Elementaita, Njenga had to seek schooling in Ndeiya, Limuru, at a school known as Kahuho-Karing'a Primary School, at the beginning of 1942. He later joined politics where he started off as a nominated member of parliament and then vied for the Kiambaa MP seat. He served as the constituency MP between 1979 and 1988. Karume built a multi-billion shilling empire that included beer distribution. Before his death, his empire was valued at close to Sh2 billion and includes the Jacaranda Group of Hotels under Jacaranda Holdings Limited, Karume Holdings Limited and Cianda Holdings Limited. His empire is diversified into three main areas Hospitality, Real Estate and Agriculture.3. The Kenyatta familyThe late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta was Kenya’s founding father. The Kenyatta family owns extensive holdings of farms, plantations, hotels, casino and insurance, shipping and real estate companies as part of their wealth portfolio. The family owns Brookside Dairy through majority shareholding which was founded in 1993. It is by far the largest producer, processor and marketer of milk and dairy products in East and Central Africa. Brookside offers fresh pasteurised milk, cream, butter, yoghurt, ghee and long-life milk products in Indian Ocean Islands, East Africa, Egypt and the Middle East. The company is based in Ruiru town on the outskirts of Nairobi and has operations in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. The Kenyatta’s also own a media house known as Mediamax Limited. 4. Charles Njonjo’s familyCharles Njonjo is popularly referred to as "The Duke of Kabeteshire". He was the son of Josiah Njonjo, a colonial paramount chief and one of the foremost collaborators of British rule in Kenya. He served as the Kenya's Attorney General from 1963 to 1973. Njonjo remains one of the richest people who hail from Kiambu County. He has extensive landholding across the country. He also has interests in high-profile financial institutions, including banks and insurance companies like Barclays Bank & Standard Bank and CMC Motors Group Limited. 5. Kuria Kanyingi’s family The former Limuru Member of Parliament was nicknamed "Mr Money Bags" for flaunting his wealth through philanthropy. Kanyingi had acquired shares in Barclays Bank, Kenya Commercial Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, and NIC Bank. He also had shares in Centum Ltd, Olympia Capital, and Rea Vipingo. At the time of his death in 2014, his wealth amounted to about Sh2 billion when his shares in various companies were factored in.