Devki Group of Companies is one of Kenya’s largest privately owned companies focusing on manufacturing building materials such as cement, steel, and aluminum.
For almost four decades the company has been growing to greater heights decade by decade, but who owns the Devki Group of Companies? Well, to briefly answer the question before we get into details about the owner and how it was founded, Devki is owned by a Kenyan industrialist of Indian Gujarati origin.
Who Owns Devki Group of Companies?
Devki Group of Companies is owned by a Kenyan billionaire philanthropist, industrialist, and entrepreneur Narendra Raval. Narendra Raval was born in 1962 in India and went on to become a priest at the temple of the Brahmin Hindu at the age of 11 years.
He later relocated to Kenya while still a teenager to serve as an assistant priest at a temple in Kisumu. This marked his first step to acquiring Kenyan citizenship, his journey as a priest didn’t last for long as he abandoned the role in 1986 and got married to a Kenyan lady and the two started trading building materials at Gikomba market.
Speaking to Business Daily, Raval cited that everything he has began at Gikomba as he and his wife exchanged ideas on how to improve, and with time they implemented the ideas one by one. Currently, his empire has expanded from Gikomba to East Africa serving in countries such as Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Raval is not commonly known by his birth name but most people know him as ‘Guru’ not because of his tantalizing business skills but because he was a priest before becoming a billionaire. Aside from being known as Guru, Raval has also established himself as a giver, and helping those in need has been on his to-do list every now and then.
Some years back he stopped one of his steel manufacturing factories to produce oxygen that he donates for free to struggling hospitals. According to Business Daily, despite being a billionaire his wardrobe is quite normal as he owns one pair of official shoes, four suits, and six ties. On top of that, he owns a simple mobile phone, no wallet, and no debit card.
Narendra Raval Businesses
Devki Group of Companies is one group that comprises different companies that deal with the manufacturing of different building materials. Below are some of the companies that are under the Devki Group of Companies.
- Devki Steel Mills Limited,
- Maisha Mabati Mills Limited,
- National Cement Company Limited
- Maisha Packaging Company Limited,
- Northwood Aviation
- Simba Cement Uganda Limited.
Of the six companies Northwood Aviation is somehow different from others as it deals with Aviation services. As of 2021, Devki Group of Companies had a total number of employees exceeding 6500.
Narendra Raval Wealth
Raval was born and raised in a poor family but this didn’t define him, every penny he has he earned with his own hands. His dream was to one day own a helicopter but even pronouncing it was a problem.
After years of grinding, he now owns three helicopters and an aviation company. As of 2021, his company had an annual revenue of Ksh 65 billion, and his net worth is valued at Ksh 50 billion in 2015 he was ranked as the second richest person in Kenya 46th in Africa.
Family
Raval aka is married to a beautiful Kenyan lady by the name of Neeta Raval who is a medical doctor. Their union has been blessed with three kids two boys and girls.