NAIROBI – Nicholas Biwott, one of Kenya’s most prominent businessmen, is dead.
According to a report by Kenyan newspaper The Daily Nation, Biwott, who was once a very powerful cabinet minister during the presidency of Daniel Arap Moi, passed away on Tuesday morning in a Nairobi hospital after battling with a long illness. He was 77.
Biwott was reputed to be one of Kenya’s most successful businessmen, and he was generally believed to have controlled one of the largest fortunes in the country. He had once offered an invitation to Forbes to do an evaluation of his net worth, but he immediately backtracked on his offer citing personal reasons.
At the time of his death, Biwott owned the prestigious Yaya Center, a landmark shopping center in Nairobi. He also owned Air Kenya and Kenya Fluorspar Company, the leading fluorspar mining company in the country, among other ventures.
