He claimed in an interview that he raised sh12,000 to launch the firm by selling his left-hand drive, vintage OPE type German automobile.

One of Kenya’s richest citizens is Raila Odinga. One of the most amazing ventures he has undertaken is the acquisition of East Africa Spectre Limited, the sole business that produces and distributes gas cylinders to imitators.
For Raila, getting to this level of multimillion-dollar business was no easy feat. He claimed in an interview that he raised sh12,000 to launch the firm by selling his left-hand drive, vintage OPE type German automobile. At the time, he was a professor at the University of Nairobi, and he had a technician buddy from India who could advise him on where to get equipment.

He delivered him to an Indian businessman who had formerly operated in Uganda but had relocated his equipment to a yard in Parklands after being driven out by Idi Amin’s government. In a godown at the Industrial Area along Kampala Road in Nairobi, Raila bought them and started a company to manufacture windows, steel doors, and casements, among other things. His friend suggested that he branch out into the fabrication of defective cylinders as the company kept growing. Since then, the company has grown significantly.