Bonfire Adventures CEO Simon Kabu is known for his success in Kenya’s hospitality industry, but a recent street interview has given fans a rare, unfiltered look at the man behind the brand, including a staggering loss most entrepreneurs would not recover from.
Content creator @youngmillionairetalks, who regularly sits down with successful figures, caught up with Kabu as he stepped out of his SUV.
What is Simon Kabu’s story?
The interaction started off with a touch of humour, with Kabu responding to the approaching interviewer with a curious “Who are you?” before warmly welcoming him once the introductions were done.
When asked at what age he became a billionaire, Kabu was quick to put things in perspective. “I started from very far.
I was a matatu tout,” he said, a statement that clearly resonated with viewers who connected with his down-to-earth origins.
He went on to describe a winding path that took him through selling bread and sugar at university, working in the matatu industry, and grinding through stints at several milk companies, before he eventually founded Bonfire Adventures.
It is the hospitality business, he says, that truly made him wealthy, and it remains his greatest passion.
The most jaw-dropping moment of the interview came when Kabu openly admitted to losing KSh 210 million in business.
Rather than glossing over the setback, he acknowledged it candidly and spoke about what it took to recover.
“I have lost KSh 210 million. I had to bounce back from it,” he said.
He also shared what he considers the pillars of sustainable business success: discipline, persistence, hard work, and prayer.
He added that competition, rather than being a threat, is something he welcomes, arguing that it pushes entrepreneurs to think creatively and sharpen their approach.
For Kabu, there are no shortcuts. Success, he insists, is a process and a progression.
The interview struck a chord online, with several fans weighing in on what they had just witnessed.
@litiapendo said:
“He lost KSh 210million and bounced back? I’m inspired.”
@madollar.254.d3n wrote:
“Wow, I like how he’s speaking facts.”
@adrianabre44 commented:
“The kind of content our generation deserves.”
@ronald_regan_america added:
“The content is so inspiring.”
@ms_maria._ simply wrote:
“What a story.”
@realjoseph11 called it:
“The best interview I’ve seen so far.”
