Philip ole Kamwaro considers his life a testament to the African proverb “it takes a village to raise a child". He charts his storied journey from “a simple Maasai boy from a village in Narok” to director of corporate services at KMPDC.
On 1 June 2018, during Kenya’s 55th Madaraka Day celebrations, former President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered a fresh vetting of all heads of procurement and accounts ahead of the start of the new financial year. This followed a series of billion-shilling graft scandals that rocked the public sector, prompting calls for accountability. The announcement plunged Philip ole Kamwaro, then finance manager at the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC), into a year of suspense.
“Having worked diligently to uphold the highest standards of integrity throughout my professional career, the thought of being forced to defend myself was beyond my imagination. The process was opaque. I went from office to office to seek the way forward with no success. During this time, I couldn’t travel outside the country, and I couldn’t apply for another job. It was chilling.”
It wasn’t the first time 41-year-old Philip had run into career headwinds. As a child, fascinated by the thought of designing homes and buildings, he had aspired to pursue a degree in architecture. He secured admission, but could not raise the fees required. Undeterred, he reached out to his relatives, some of whom had well-paying jobs in Nairobi and Naivasha.
“One of my uncles discouraged me from pursuing this career path without offering help or alternatives. I decided to go back to the village and continue with farming to see whether anything positive would come by, but due to the lack of one critical resource called land, this became extremely difficult. I did not give up. I told my God that no matter what may come, I will one day make it big,” he said.
He persisted, coining himself the moniker Olnyati, which means buffalo in Maa, as an acknowledgment to his resolve. Philip joined a group of five men whose aim was to help members improve their fortunes through potato farming. After he had accumulated a small sum, he went to Nairobi to pursue a college education. He researched courses he could study with the funds at his disposal and settled on studying accounting part-time at Star College of Management Studies, allowing him to look for casual jobs for some form of income.
He credits Charles Katangie, a member of the group, for encouraging him to pursue his studies and keep a positive mindset despite his challenges. Together, the two approached prominent people in Philip’s Narok hometown to seek financial support for his CPA III course.
“It would be unfortunate if I did not mention my mum, Mama Nashipae, my dad, Richard, and my brothers, Bob and Alex. This great family came through for me in ways that I cannot explain. I was able to survive one day at a time and continue hoping that one day things would be great. It is there that I learned the spirit of hard work and teamwork. It is there I learned there is a God in heaven. I must make a special dedication and acknowledgement to spiritual parents, my wife Joyce, and my children for their unwavering support and prayers. Indeed, it takes a whole village to educate a child, and I am a true testimony to that,” he said.
Consultative and collaborative
Today, having scaled up the ladder from an accounts clerk, Philip deputises the CEO and oversees four key departments as the director of corporate services, namely finance & accounts, human resource management & administration, corporate communication & public relations and information technology. He holds a MSc in finance from the University of Nairobi and is pursuing a doctorate in Business Administration at USIU Africa - a feat he considers a miracle. He also holds three professional qualifications: certified public accountant of Kenya (CPA-K), certified information systems auditor (CISA), and certified investment and financial analyst (CIFA - Section 1).
At KPMDC, Philip manages over 40 people, applying what he terms a consultative and collaborative approach to management. He advocates ensuring everyone feels motivated and valued as part of the team for effective and efficient service delivery. Strategic thinking, clear reporting lines, and proper segregation of duties are the main tenets of his leadership style.
Under his leadership, KMPDC won the 2021 FiRE award, described as the most prestigious and coveted award for financial reporting in East Africa. He has also participated in developing three strategic plans for the council. Philip played a hand in the mobilisation of Ksh380 million in internally generated funds for the construction of its headquarters office complex.
“I participated in the Kenya patient safety impact evaluation (KePSIE), a World Bank funded project in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, whose aim was to assess the impact of innovative regulatory interventions in public and private health facilities in three counties. The public has benefited from this assessment, which has ensured improved patient safety standards and quality of care resulting from strengthened implementation of the regulatory framework,” he said.
Philip’s achievements exemplify his approach to success, which he defines as “optimally using one’s accumulated knowledge and skills in a particular field or area to achieve results”. His conception of personal triumph transcends the self, requiring an individual to make a lasting contribution to humanity and the world.
In line with this, he has founded Entaisere Sidai Sacco, which aims to empower its members economically and socially. As a consequence, members now own parcels of land in Narok. Philip has also planted trees on every piece of land he owns, even persuading his father to relinquish part of the family’s ancestral land for tree planting.
When priorities change
This, he reckons, will go a long way towards changing the environment for the better. He attributes his accomplishments to his family, saying marriage radically changed his priorities.
“Singlehood comes with its fair share of challenges. It gives one freedom to do anything at any given time without being answerable to anyone. But after marriage, this has completely shifted. The thought that there is someone in your life, dependants looking up to you, that one must remain focused and responsible at all times, really shifted how I perceived life,” he said.
The suit and tie Philip dons daily belie the role he takes on when he sheds his work clothes. At home, he wears gumboots and a dust coat, plodding through wet earth as he tends to crops and cares for poultry, cattle and bees at his farm in Narok. This, along with his daily exercise routine, helps him rejuvenate and keep fit.
In his youth, Philip had a near-clairvoyant belief that he would succeed. So confident was he of his future triumphs that he would not do anything differently if he had the chance to relook his decisions from 15 to 20 years ago. His spiritual conviction runs like a thread through his life, colouring it with purpose.
“The loss of my mother; Margaret Kamwaro when I was just 8 years old, left a dent in my heart, but God had and still has a plan for me. After this huge loss, my uncle Julius and aunt saw to it that I completed my primary and secondary education. For the diamond to shine, it must go through intense heat. God had to ensure I went through that so that the world could acknowledge that He is Almighty. Just as He was with Moses, Joshua, David, Daniel, and Joseph as is written in the Bible, God has been walking with me side by side and I still believe my destiny is yet to arrive,” he said.
He has found this belief echoed in Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich, a book whose principles resonate deeply with him.
“Through focusing on having unshakable desire, having absolute faith in oneself, constant training of the subconscious mind to believe in succeeding, and developing a detailed plan for success, anyone despite their background can think and grow rich. This book borrows a lot from the Bible, which I consider a supreme book, that has made me reach where I am today,” he said.
For his younger self, and others on the same path, Philip has only one piece of advice: to believe in their abilities, use the resources at their disposal and work with other people to grow and move forward, believing in God above all.
