Women are important to Kevin Otiende. For starters, he was born out of one, that much should be obvious.
Even then, she died when he was just 10 years old. His elder sister took the reins, she was tough yes, but would he be half the man he is if not for her firm yet gentle hand? She too had a helping hand.
Otiende owes his professional mien as the founder of Calla PR to two other women, Joanne Mwangi-Yelbert (CEO of Professional Marketing Services) and Joanna Gow, who was Managing Director at PMS (and currently the MD of communications firm Tessera Ltd.)—where he served as Head of PR.
Have I mentioned that Calla is named after his daughter? Now you know. Oh, and in situ, his chic office in middle-class Nairobi is a canvas of women's paintings staring you down.
So yes, women are not just important to Kevin. They are the rock on which he has built his church on. They are around him.
Or he is around them. He pays homage to these women.
As his words dart across the room, the paintings on his wall linger on my retina. I wager that his other wall, his Facebook, is a mess. He doesn't disagree.
Then again, he doesn't agree, either. Fun is had when he is around. He loves a good time and is forever leading it or lording over it—depending on one's opinion about him.
Beaming like a well-fed crow, he feeds me stories of his days as a journalist, his philanthropy, and life-is-for-the-living moxie generating the sort of instant love and fealty that no amount of PR consultancy can harvest.
He straddles businessman and man-about-town with the flamboyance of a tightrope walker—he is just at home discussing plots of land as the weekend plot.
More flâneur, less dilettante. And though it was a rather dismal day—outside, the sun shivered, and the sky looked as if God was wringing out his dirty underwear—he is on the heat with living.
Who are you when you are not in the office?
Recently I had an interview with an intern, and she told me she would not be here forever. That was bold. You know how managers love to have their egos massaged.
She said she wanted to start her own business and asked me about mistakes to avoid. I asked her, "Why do you need to avoid mistakes?" It took Joanne (Mwangi) 23 years; we have just celebrated our sixth anniversary.
There are things you will never learn in a business school; you just have to put in the work.
Now, I am a teetotaller. I take a litre of passion and orange juice daily—separately of course.
I start with orange and end the day with passion. I am on the road a lot.
I am in a co-parenting situation; thus, I wake up at 4 am for a jog before picking my daughter up at 6:30 am for school. She is about to turn 7.
I'm not available [for any other engagement] before 8 am—no matter who is calling. Between 2 pm and 4 pm, I pick her up from school and then head back to the office.
I'm the last person to leave this building. I am also a bit (a bit?) of a workaholic.
I am an artist and art educated me. I won the KIWI Art and Craft National Competition four times and that money helped pay our rent and school fees.
I am big on situational and environmental awareness—sometimes I over-involve in charity—but I know I can't save the world.
Why did you start jogging and what does it mean to you?
Jogging sets the pace for the rest of the day. When I don't jog, I feel lethargic. You know the saying, 'it's never that serious', sometimes it is!
I like how we communicate in silence when I meet people at that time [while jogging]. It is more of meditation. It's like yoga. I can diarise my day at that moment.
What's the most boring part about jogging?
When I don't meet other joggers, especially of the other gender, and miss my chance to be recognised as a serious jogger haha!
It's a 'If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there...' sort of thing haha!
Kevin Otiende, the founder of Calla PR. FILE PHOTO | POOL
What distance do you cover in your runs?
Roughly five kilometres daily.
Your art is dominated by women. What do women mean to you?
I have been shaped by women. I spent only 10 years with my mother but I remember every single day. I was born asthmatic and spent a lot of time on her back rushing to the hospital.
Every value I have is from my mother. Had she lived she'd be 77 today. I was really fragile, which is why I take workouts seriously.
My sister who was 25 years old then took over my upbringing. She was strict and her salary then was no more than Sh10,000.
We didn't understand her struggles; feeding seven children—two of hers, plus five of her siblings. I respect her so much.
Interestingly, all my siblings are only two years apart, from the first to the last born.
When my daughter was born, I underwent a transfiguration. I don't know how fate works but the Nairobi hospital maternity wing was under repair, so they set up a temporary theatre—on the right is the ward where my mom died, on the left is where my daughter was born.
Calla centres me. The other day I was going to purchase a house and needed her approval. Credit also goes to Joanna Gow.
When I left journalism for PR, I shadowed her and she provided a steady touch that has guided my business.
Did Calla approve the house?
No. Haha! Her reason is that there is a massive tank just outside the house, and it could fall on us. She scared me. That tank holds 200,000 litres.
What have you learned from her?
Standing your ground. The problem is I also stand my ground. The apple did not fall too far from this tree haha! Our olive branch is simple; explain why this matters to you, and we're game.
You travel a lot, what destination has stayed with you?
Mombasa. I arrived in Mombasa as a student in my first year (at the University of Nairobi). I was mesmerised. I had never seen an ocean before. Oh, and that Swahili accent.
Need I even talk about the varieties of food? Nairobi may have my interest but Mombasa has my attention.
Airbnb or hotel?
Hotel. I like it when things are taken care of. I am all over the place. My car boot has five containers—when you are a bachelor, you never know where your next meal comes from.
I have very good friends who inform this Nairobi senior bachelor when they have good food. God bless them!
Heavy packer?
No. Just what is necessary. Sometimes I'd send the driver to Mombasa with my clothes a day prior. I don't like to suffer. I don't know how to suffer.
You can live like a king for a day or for the rest of your life as a prince. Does the maxim ring true to you?
Depends. Business subconsciously instils some discipline and a level of alertness in you.
Every coin counts. I recently refused to approve payment of Sh70, 000 because there was an extra Sh380,000 I was not aware of.
Now I am into farming, with aspirations of being one of the biggest farmers. I am very deliberate in my undertakings. I am not a soft-life guy; I am just a convenience guy.
One of my social weaknesses is that I just don't move—until I am convinced.
Covid taught us you cannot do one thing, which is why I am in an investment chama with a few level-headed guys. But I have my fair share of mistakes—I invested in a catering business that failed terribly haha!
I see a book here. What is one book that challenged your thinking?
A Man of the People [by Chinua Achebe]. I read that book right after reading The Animal Farm [by George Orwell].
I don't understand why we don't do the right thing/s. We have not been lucky as a continent to find leaders who care. All these young men and women selling wares along roads are from the DRC.
There are beggars on the roads from Tanzania. My carwash guys are from Burundi. My barber is from Rwanda. This paints a picture of a people pushed to the cliff edge.
What do you love most about the weekend?
The carefree attitude. No emails to send. Nobody setting a meeting. I am very spontaneous, so on the weekend, you can call me at 1 am, and if you make your case, I will be there.
On December 31, 2022, I was headed to the fireworks at the Waterfront (Karen), and at 11:25 pm, my pals in Syokimau sent me a video of some mbuzi being offered as a burnt sacrifice.
Haha. I didn't need convincing. The mbuzi spoke for itself. When it's time to eat, I rarely need to be asked twice to come to the table.
When you think of the weekend, what food comes to mind?
Steak. Rib-eye. I got this from my dad. Oh, and I eat Ugali twice a day.
What hack makes your weekends better?
A little bit of cash is important haha! That and Instagram. There are a lot of places you learn of through Instagram.
I discovered Burudani Adventures in Limuru where you can do sky cycling. If you fall you die. I stalled but didn't fall, which explains why I am here haha!
Oh, one more. Plan to travel months in advance. It is almost 70 percent cheaper. You can plan a whole city tour if you plan ahead.
Last year I paid Sh12,000 a night after making bookings three months earlier. I went back a few weeks back and I spent Sh21,000 a night.
What is the dumbest thing you've spent money on?
I like to stay away from money. I do not have an ATM card or mobile banking. I like to have to go to the bank. I could have Sh100,000 cash here and it would be all spent by Monday.
If I have Sh5,000 today in the bank, it will see me through to Monday. But it's my daughter who makes me spend money.
This daddy-daughter relationship siphoning me. I like that her mother is tough. Recently, we bought the same toy—a doll house—twice, just because it had different characters. Calla is not good for my pocket.
For to be both wise and love exceeds man's might. What do you think co-parenting has given you, and consequently, what has it taken from you?
It is unnecessary how we grownups can be selfish. We don't know how to deal with each other, which affects children.
If you consult each other regularly, children won't even know they are being co-parented. I am in a healthy and steady co-parenting situation, and my daughter knows we love her.
Every time my daughter asks me about her mother, I answer happily. Children love their parents equally.
But unfortunately, some are caught in their parents' battles. For men, it is all about respect. Women just want the man to do his part. It's that simple.
What is an unusual or absurd habit that you love?
I like to march like a soldier when I am taking, say, the plates to the kitchen. I also mimic a lot. And oh, I have won a lot of Grammys in the shower. But don't tell anyone, haha!
Who do you know that I should know?
David Gatende, the retired CEO of Davis & Shirtliff.
Why should I know him?
Well, for starters, he has had a stellar career. He is recently retired and has started mentoring sessions for young men.
His brother was murdered a while back, and his father was among the pioneering neurosurgeons in Kenya.
Look, there is a massive crisis for the boychild—and he is stepping up as a father figure to take these children further.
