Meet the man behind Kenya’s first and only castle; the beautiful Tafaria Castle. He has built one of Kenya’s most beautiful structures- an
elegant structure designed on fairy tales of medieval Europe. The marvelous
castle is a result of seven years of construction. Before he made the
transition from the corporate world to build this dream castle, he was the man at
the helm of Steadman Group (now Ipsos Synovate), who steered it to an African multinational. The man, George Waititu. Let his tale unfold.
Growing up in Laikipia plains near
the Aberdares was remote, harsh,
lonely and God forsaken (in many ways). My mother was a pioneer immigrant there. Make no mistake though, it was still fun and
well-moulded me – I can bet I would have been a totally different person if I
didn’t grow up there.
The inspiration behind Tafaria
Castle stemmed out of a childhood
dream and the need to express my love for architecture and art. Most
importantly, the castle is very symbolic of transforming my village. Having
gone back to conquer the brutality that it unleashed on me when I was growing
up, a Castle had to be built to signify that – just like in medieval times when
they conquered a territory. The fact that we built a castle was also borne out
of the expression by my English teacher each time one was caught day dreaming
‘don’t build castles in the air!’, so I had to build one on the ground for my
village.
The challenges I faced were in
plenty – I look back
and there is no way I shall undertake such a project again! (chuckles) The challenges
ranged for the very location itself – far flung making materials haulage expensive,
local labour was not used to the kind of work ethics the project demanded, I
was fulltime working and supervision was a major challenge, the heavy rains and
bad roads, lack of water and lack of power made the early years of the project
very expensive. Overall, there were many challenges but they did not seem as
such as Tafaria is a pure work of passion…. I am happy to note that we accomplished
all the set out transformational goals: to bring water, electricity, roads,
employment, skills, market for local produce, to enhance land value and to create
social prestige in the village. |
| The front and rear entrances to the Castle |
 |
| One of the beautiful pieces of art at the Castle |
Tafaria was always a dream I had. I
made the transition from my career to focus on the castle because of the overwhelming need to
go back home and transform the village that I grew up in, the village that made
me the person that I am today. I also have this thing in me - that this craving
to live in urban areas needs to be reversed by making rural areas more
attractive places to live in. Beyond the localized transformation that I
pursued, I'm very deliberate about rural transformation.
The lessons I have learnt are
un-ending. The most important
one is being ‘never delegate your dream’; you must personally be involved and
pursue it with brutal consistency. Anything short of that will be filled with
regret of either unrealized goals or poor execution – I had to leave corporate life
to pursue my dream brutally. The results are always deeply fulfilling.
Where I am today is a result of being
passionate about what I believe in. I never take up anything in life that I am not in love
with. I had a similar passion for the Steadman group which I built to an Africa
multinational. If you have ever been in love, I'm sure you will understand what
I mean – no one else or anything else matters in the world and you go to strenuous
lengths to satisfy this. (Isn’t that amazing,
can I get an amen? Haha!)
I am very average and have always been even
academically – I still get bored very quickly – I'm also very edgy and terribly
impatient – when I die, burry me quick else you might have some questions to
answer. Haha!
Success to me is the attainment
of a set personal vision – a goal true to one’s heart. I think it is always very
disempowering to others when one tells his story because using the benefit of
hindsight, everything sounds and looks well thought out and executed – it’s
therefore very hard to explain this in a way that sounds normal. I would sum up
my journey as one full of the ordinary ups and downs pursued with brutal
consistence – hence few regrets.
Mentors are important but one needs
to be careful not to be entrapped by social conformity. I have been personally inspired by different phenomenon and people.
For instance am very inspired by the consistency of the sun (never fails to
rise or set) and hawkers (for their aggression, belief in what they sell and
passion to push it through). We are who we are because all our paths are unique
and however hard you try to take mine, you will never end up with the same
results. One needs someone to occasionally bounce off ideas. Trouble with young
people when they get mentors is that they over-subject themselves to the said
mentors, sometimes compromising their own creativity and personal liberties
(which I highly cherish). You must stand for something first at a personal
level then look for someone to guide you through it.
My advice to young people on saving
and investing would be to make your dreams first and set your goals then define
the steps towards their accomplishment. Put a financial tag to each and then set out
to get the necessary finances. I am not a believer of saving money in the bank. The true
meaning of money is what one spends it on.
The whole essence of working hard is to accomplish a pre-defined goal. I
would hate a situation where I make some money then go look for something to
do with it.
Invest in that genuine dream that
is personal to you. An early start is always advisable. Breakdown the various
stages of your investment to the tiniest of elements (I say shilling worth) and
that way you don’t have to wait to save big money to start. Tafaria started by
simply planting trees. Each seedling then was 1bob and labour for a day was
100bob. So even the biggest of investments has a shilling worth element. If you have an opportunity, I say why not!
Endless pursuit of wealth for its
own sake is not fulfilling. I find it deeply satisfying when you do things with and for
the community. Tafaria is a social enterprise by motivation. Reaching out to
the community does not stop one from earning while at it just like one can do
with a hobby. Also, however hard one works, there is always the element of fate
and many things in a community conspire to influence our direction. So,
community being so cardinal to/in our lives, it’s worth attention.
The earlier one is able to ‘figure’
himself out, the easier navigation through life becomes thereafter. Remember, even the society engages
with you at your own terms. You set the terms and immediately the society sees
you through those lenses and engages with you as such.
