Nairobi: Celebrated cardiologist Dan Gikonyo has urged men to include their wise wives and children in family businesses so that they can thrive.
The man famed for treating the late president Mwai Kibaki, former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua, politicians Charles Rubia, Koigi Wamwere and Kenneth Matiba said that history is awash with women who built empires for their men.
Speaking at the 4th Annual Abojani Economic Empowerment Conference 2024, that was held on Saturday, November 23, 2024 at the Radisson Blue Hotel in Upperhill, Nairobi.
At the event, Gikonyo was emphatic that in a family business, you make a major investment by investing in the knowledge of your wife and children.
“History is full of people who were made by their wives,” he said.
Why did Gikonyo lose his job at UoN?
In 1982, Gikonyo was a lecturer at the University of Nairobi School of Medicine, but then there was a coup, and some people lost their jobs.
He decided to take some time and travel to the US with his wife, Betty Gikonyo, to study at the University of Minneapolis.
“That is where the idea to build the Karen Hospital was born. By sheer coincidence, some nuns from Moi’s Bridge had a child with severe heart disease and surgeons in Minneapolis had agreed to treat the child for free,” he shared.
“They asked me, and I agreed. We took the kid, and he lived with us. They kept calling, asking us to host more more children and we agreed; we saw the stress of more kids coming and going and thought of starting a foundation in Kenya to help them. That is how the heart-to-heart foundation was formed,” he added.
Why did Gikonyo and Betty return to Kenya
Speaking to TUKO.co.ke, Gikonyo said he returned to Kenya to be with his parents and siblings.
“By the time I came back from the University of Minneapolis in 1986, there were very few cardiologists; there was much more I could do for society than in America, where there were hundreds of cardiologists,” he said.
“That doesn’t mean people abroad should come; there must be people out there who sustain the economy for us. I saw an opening, a vision that I could make a difference,” he said.
How was the journey to Karen Hospital?
When the couple returned to Kenya, they started a clinic at Tusker House with two rooms.
At the building, it was difficult to talk to patients, especially when they were loading those crates.
Then they built Reinsurance Plaza, and they moved there…again two rooms.
“We later went to Nairobi Hospital and were doing very well but we needed to be somewhere where we could do the things we wanted,” said Gikonyo.
“Karen was so far in the forest. When we started the journey there were hurdles as finance specialists said that they would fold up within a year. When starting a business, people will tell you it wont work; don’t listen,” he added.
How long have Gikonyo and Betty run Karen hospital?
The cardiologist said when starting business, you must have an idea, consistency, a good wise wife and God.
“You must have a good wife. It starts with the idea, looking for finances and being consistent,” he said and he had one because he is wife has run a business alongside him for 18 years. “History is full of women who build empires for their husbands. If you find any strong family, there is a sting woman somewhere sustaining it. Let us have some respect for the female gender, they are our wives and daughters and make them part of the society,” he added.
How did Gikonyo get finances for the business?
When Gikonyo had the idea of building a hospital, he went to three banks, among them Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB), and Barclays, and they asked them why they wanted to start a hospital and what they knew about hospitals.
“In 1963, there were only four hospitals in Nairobi: The Aga Khan, Nairobi Hospital, Kenyatta Hospital and MP Shah hospital, he said.
The doctor said that when doing business, a person may think that the owner built it all at once, but it was a single brick built every day.
“You must ensure that every product or service that you have has standards; manufacturing, production processes must meet strict specifications, and if it is medicine, you must make sure that you give quality medical care and your results are good,” he said.
Gikonyo also emphasized on building credibility and customer loyalty as well as maintaining a consistent and accurate database.
“Additionally, one must have have measurable targets and set goals they can achieve,” he said.
What did Gikonyo advise about leaving legacy?
In his new book, Doctor at Heart, Gikonyo discusses business succession in a chapter called “Passing the Baton.”
“If we don’t pass the wealth we create to our children in a formal and organised manner, it gets wasted. Therefore, leaving a legacy in your family and children is paramount,” he said.
“You must introduce your family to your businesses as they grow so that when you leave, you have left able hands to take care of the business,” he added.
Which Kenyan hospitals train cardiologists?
At the moment, Karen Hospital trains more heart doctors than UoN; it is the third hospital that has been licensed to train them alongside Aga Khan and the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH).
“Teach younger people and leave a legacy. We agreed to build a teaching hospital, so we take young girls from high school and teach them nursing,” he said.
“For the last three consecutive years, we have produced the best nurses in the Nursing council exam. We’ve become so popular that our 2025 class is full until next year December,” he said..
Forget about the money When starting out, forget the money; give the service and later the cash will come to you. “The person who gets better is your marketer,” he said.
“If you earn money and you don’t save you will never become wealthy,” he said while emphasizing on Wangari Maathai’s staying power and ability to keep fighting even when one is done.
Read more:Â https://www.tuko.co.ke/people/family/570278-dan-gikonyo-karen-hospital-founder-urges-businessmen-wife-children-close/
