I Bought Building of University that Denied Me Teaching Job, Kenyan Billionaire Simon Gicharu Says

Kenyan billionaire and Mount Kenya University (MKU) founder Simon Gicharu says he purchased a building belonging to a local university that denied him a job a few years earlier.

In a social media post, Gicharu explained that he had made an application for a lecturer’s position at Kenya School of Professional Studies, currently Inoorero University, but did not get the job after being told: “don’t call us, we will call you”.

“Ever been told by a potential employer, ‘don’t call us, we will call you’? I have, severally. At the School of Professional Studies where I sought a teaching position, I walked away crestfallen. Several years later, I went back and bought their building,” Gicharu tweeted in a post captioned #WednesdayMotivation.

Gicharu’s tweet attracted hundreds of comments, over 1,000 retweets and more than 3,000 likes, with many Kenyans applauding him for not giving up despite rejection.

In a post in April, the 55-year-old tycoon tweeted: “When I was fired by TSC in 1995, I started hawking milk in Thika to support my family. I did my rounds in an old Chevy pickup, such as this one. Friends laughed at me, calling me a 'failed graduate'. But this didn't shake me. Self-belief is the key to success.”