Share this?

NIBS Founder Lizzie Muthoni Wanyoike Dead, Her Biography and Life Achievements

Jan 15, 2024 3 Min Read

alt

Lizzie Wanyoike, the founder of the Nairobi Institute of Business Studies (NIBS), Emory Hotel, and Liziie Preparatory Schools, has died.

The businesswoman died on Sunday, January 14, at the age of 72, according to her family.

"In loving memory of a wonderful educator." Her enthusiasm sparked ideas, and her kindness warmed hearts. The eulogy read, "A beacon of wisdom, she left an indelible mark on countless lives, shaping futures with grace."

Muthoni wa Kirumba, a Kameme FM presenter who was among the first to report the news, revealed that Lizzie Wanyoike had battled cancer prior to her death.

 


"Rip, Madam Liz wanyoike- Nibs college. Cancer will also perish!!!!" Muthoni posted on Facebook, "Dance with the Angels."

NIBS Founder Lizzie Muthoni Wanyoike and bio data

Wanyoike, who was born in November 1951, attended Kenyatta University and earned a Diploma in Education. She is a kikuyu by tribe and died aged 72years. Following her divorce, she used her Ksh6 million savings and a Ksh4 million loan to found the Temple College of Secretarial Studies in Nairobi, with the mission of mentoring young girls and promoting education.

The college, now known as NIBS, began with 25 students and has grown exponentially to over 6,000 students.

Its branches are located along the Thika Highway in Ongata Rongai, Thika Town, Nairobi CBD, and Ruiru-Kimbo.

The Emory Hotel in Kileleshwa, a four-star establishment for business and hospitality training, and the Lizzie Wanyoike Preparatory School were among Wanyoike's expansions.
 

Education and background

Lizzie Wanyoike was born in the 1950s in Murang'a County. She was the sixth child in a family of ten. Her father was the chief of the village, and her mother was a peasant housewife. According to her own account, the family was impoverished. 

She began her education at Gathuki-ini Primary School in Wathenge, Muranga County, before transferring to Kahuhia Girls High School in Karuri, Muranga County, where she earned a High School Diploma. She was then accepted at Kenyatta University College (now Kenyatta University), where she earned a Diploma in Education. 
 

Working Experience

She was assigned to State House Girls' School in Nairobi as a secondary school teacher in 1972, with a monthly salary of KSh 961 (approximately US$140 at the time). She realized by 1975 that working for someone else was not her calling. Temple College of Secretarial Studies, based in Nairobi, was founded by her husband and other business partners. 

Wanyoike, who was the Principal and an instructor at Temple, approached management with ideas for expanding the course menu and increasing student intake, but management turned her down. She left Temple in 1999, armed with KSh6 million (US$60,000) in savings and a KSh4 million (US$40,000) bank loan from Equity Bank Kenya Limited.
 

NAIROBI Institute of Business Studies is established.

Wanyoike established NIBS in rented premises in 2000, with 25 students and two teachers, using the KSh10 million she had raised. 

After a rocky start, she had raised KSh134 million (US$1.34 million) by 2010, which she used to build the institute's headquarters in Ruiru-Kimbo, Kiambu County, on a 10-acre (4-hectare) plot of land. By 2018, NIBS had over 6,000 students and over 250 instructors on four campuses along the Thika Highway: Ongata Rongai, Thika Town, Nairobi Central Business District, and Ruiru-Kimbo.
 

Kileleshwa's NIBS Hotel

As of January 2018, Wanyoike was working with NIBS to build a five-star hotel in the upscale Kileleshwa neighborhood, about 6.5 kilometers (4 miles) north-west of Nairobi's central business district. The development will provide commercial services as well as practical training and internships for NIBS hospitality students. The hotel, which is expected to cost KSh400 million (US$4 million), is partially funded by Equity Bank Kenya Limited loans.
 

Send your hot story or video to info@homekazi.co.ke

Comments
There are no comments yet

Add Comment

Note: We sanitize our comments to keep them clean!

Share this Page