Meru's oldest business that is still thriving, 100 years on

Located next to the Nyayo monument on Meru's Njuri Ncheke Street is the town's oldest business.

The street, which is synonymous with shops owned by Indians, was also known as New Indian Bazaar and Biashara Street.

Meru Town owes its rise to the 115-year-old enterprise founded by an Indian who landed in Kenya by chance.

In a town that dates back to 1911, the name Mahomed Moti and Sons Ltd stands out to many.

DECLARED A TOWN

Meru was declared a township by the first colonial District Commissioner Edward Butler Horne on May 13, 1911. By then, Mr Mohamed Moti was an established trader.

In 1896, the Indian trader sailed to Kenya from Kutiana village, Kathiawar in India, where owned a cotton ginnery at the age of 29.

Mr Moti was travelling to South Africa in a dhow but at Mombasa, he found other Indians who convinced him to settle in Kenya.

The late Moti’s shop was nicknamed “Duka la Serikali” as it was frequented by colonial rulers who arrived later.

Today, the business deals with electronics, spare parts, machinery and equipment.

The shop is synonymous with quality, thanks to its history that is closely knit with the Meru County headquarters.

Moti’s business came to be named "Mahomed" after British government officials misspelled the name due to the Moti's Indian accent.

Today, the enterprise is run by one of the late Moti’s grandsons, Mr Majid Suleman, as the director.

“My grandfather stayed in Mombasa for a while and travelled to Nairobi on foot where he established a textile business. After about two years in Nairobi, the British colonial government asked to open shops in the Northern Frontier District. He came by foot with potters and an Ox wagon,” Mr Suleman narrates.

SUBJECT IN A BOOK

The late Moti is a subject in a book titled We came in Dhows - Around Mt Kenya, Up to NFD by Cynthia Salvadori.

“He started with groceries, textiles, canned beef and biscuits which were preferred by the British. There was no much trade with the Meru people then,” the grandson says.

The business grew to deal with hardware, petroleum products, maize flour milling and cereals dealer.

He was an agent to several companies distributing their products across the Mt Kenya region and the Northern Frontier District (NFD).

“The British asked him to open more shops in northern Kenya. By this time, more Indians were coming to Meru.

My grandfather would mentor them to open new branches. In total, my grandfather operated about 65 shops across the country,” he explains.

By the 1920s, Mr Moti was a major government supplier being the sole source of maize meal for Meru Prison and distributor of fuel.

A brick building that housed Moti’s water-powered flour stone mill along River Kathita can still be seen today.

“My grandfather was a very smart businessman to manage 65 branches and make profit without computers. Transport and communication was also a nightmare. The people then must have been very trustworthy,” Mr Suleman notes.

SUCCUMBED TO PNEUMONIA

Mr Moti succumbed to pneumonia in 1930 while in Nairobi.

The Second World War of 1939 to 1945 brought good business to the enterprise now run by his father and uncles.
“During the Second World War, there was increased military activity here. My uncles were supplying a lot of fuel and foodstuff to the military,” he says.

The Moti’s were also the first to introduce public service vehicles that plied Meru-Nairobi route.

Mr Moti’s business is also mentioned in a memoir, Out in the Blue, published in 1927 by Vivienne De Watteville.

The author and her father travelled across the British East Africa hunting and collecting animal specimen for the Berne Museum in Switzerland.

Ms Vivienne says while in Meru, they relied on Moti for food supplies and the only means of transport they knew was Moti’s Ox-wagon.

She says, “It was a full day in Meru arranging transport for the Uaso Nyiro trip, buying more donkeys and supplies of posho…The second consignment which was to have been brought up from Nairobi by Moti six weeks before had not yet arrived.…”

Mr Suleman says his grandfather’s legacy has earned the business trust as a source of quality goods.

Having been in business for more than 100 years, Mr Suleman says their focus is on quality and trust as set out by the founder.

Mr Suleman advises that anyone who wants to venture in business should be ready to take risks and be physically present.

“I am informed that my grandfather would travel to northern Kenya to check on his businesses. He also knew how to mentor others,” he says.

JAMIA MOSQUE CONSTRUCTION

Mr Moti is said to have been instrumental in the construction of the Jamia Mosque in Nairobi.

“My grandfather was a founder member of Jamia Mosque built between 1902 and 1906. He encouraged the setting aside of land for a row of shops at the mosque to sustain it.

He reasoned that the land would be useful in future. My grandfather was visionary,” explains Mr Suleman.

The legendary businessman is also rumoured to have been an honorary elder of the revered Njuri Ncheke council.

“He loved Meru so much. He used to say anyone who does not make money in Meru must be very lazy,” the director recounts.

The Moti’s are set to construct a 10-storey commercial building next to Meru Police Station.

The building will be among the tallest in Meru Town, alongside the planned Meru Green Wood Park and Meru Rising Tower, sealing the Moti’s place as pacesetters in development in the county.