Business: Meet Megha Superstores ( Hardware shop)
Established: 2003
Citizen: Kenyan
Call him a farmer who turned millionaire or someone whose perseverance paid off, Hasmukhbhai Patel represents that group of Indians who came to Nairobi because their hometown had nothing to offer. In this case, famine for this farmer did push him to literally look for greener pastures. Hailing from Pamol, in Gujarat he landed in Nairobi in the year 1994 with a mere 200 dollars. The road ahead was no smooth, but giving up was not in his DNA. Years later when his wife joined him, she not only became his pillar of strength but even his business partner. After working as a supervisor for 6 years he decided to go on his own. His contacts and noble heart helped him hire a building in Keroka, 300kms away from the capital, which he eventually converted to a supermarket. He did taste success, but it was short lived. He was looted at gunpoint and thrashed badly, only to be advised a 7-month rest by the doctors. The supermarket business suffered a little bit but bounced back to life once he returned. In 2007, he started his hardware business supplying cement, paint, iron rods etc. “Today my turnover is 20 million KSH, “ he says proudly. Now a well-known figure in Keroka, the trust and clientele he has built is what he treasures the most. Any plans of going back to India? His answer is a big NO. “You can’t earn this kind of money in India,” he says emphatically. Today with two hardware stores, a few investments in real estate, he in a way stands for what Africa has come to mean for many like him – A land of hope and immense potential.
“Life risky hai, per chalta hai,” he says with a grin.
