Joe Sang’s phone cannot stop ringing. I am impressed by the battery in this modern-day auxiliary brain, which seems to announce, “I am a busy man.” There was a time it wasn’t like this, when perhaps he could go several days without charging his phone. He lost it all before, you see. Did his phone stop ringing then? He remains elusive with the answer. What happened? He was embroiled in a court case that dragged on for years. You know how it is. The wheels of justice turn slowly.
When he came back from the dead, he arrived with the knowledge that, in the end, it all slips away. Your money, your possessions, your career. Poof! Gone. Now, like Steve Jobs returning to Apple, Muhammad Ali returning from the years of exile, Jesus Christ rolling back the stone—he hopes his legend will be built on a man who had it all, lost it all, then built it all over again. A man who, depending on who you ask, came back from the dead.
Ask him what matters now and he will say the things that make him feel alive, things no one can take away from him. Running the Chicago marathon. His single-digit golf punt. Swimming. This is what living is, and this is how you live.
At the Hemmingways in Karen, we take the track to his childhood in Kabianga, where he grew up without shoes, ran to school—you know how it goes. It’s a long way from that boy then. Then his phone rings.
Does your phone ever stop ringing?
I run a billion-dollar company. So, no.
When you became a CEO, was there an emptiness to having achieved your dreams?
Yes, there was some loneliness when I got to the top, but what helped is that I have an open-door policy in terms of communication. I relate with everyone, irrespective of the cadre—I value what everyone brings on board.
Kenya Pipeline Company Managing Director Joe Sang.
You are an accountant too, and some would say accounts are straitjacket boring. Would you agree?
I did my first degree in Economics, so being an accountant, an economist, and a strategist with my Master of Business Administration gives me the right recipe for a CEO. I have diversified, so I won’t necessarily be “boring”. I look at the glass as half-full, not half-empty.
Accountants are, generally, people who want to reduce costs. What do you splurge on?
I am a sporty guy. I play golf and like to run therefore I have a weakness in thrifting for fitness clothes.
Is that how you landed on the marathon?
This (Chicago Marathon scheduled for October 13, 2024) will be my first 42km run. I have done 21km and 30km, but this will be my first international major. I started running in competitions 15 years ago.
But long before that, growing up, I’d run five kilometres to school in the morning, run back home for lunch, and back to school again—barefooted. If I never made it to the University of Nairobi, I would have schooled in Kabianga, married, and died there. Besides running, I play golf and swim.
Do you run every day?
I run three times a week— Mondays, Wednesdays, and either Fridays or Saturdays. I did 21km on Monday, today (August 15, 2024) I did 10km. I start my day at 4:30am and get on the track at 5am and by 7am, I am done.
How do you maintain that running discipline?
It takes perseverance and endurance. There are days I feel like I need another hour to sleep but because I’ve set an ambitious target, I have to keep it going. But as a runner, you also need rest. I use Sundays to get adequate sleep followed by mid-morning church with my family.
How does a village boy pick up golf?
Through interactions with friends. I’d call my peers and they would tell me they were on the golf course. When I was at the East Africa Breweries Limited, I joined the Karen Country Club, and one day I decided to join my friends. I enrolled and today my handicap index is 9.2.
Is that good?
Very and I am aiming lower.
Has any of your children picked up your sporty side?
I have two boys (aged 12 and 9) and a girl, 14 years old. The two boys have started golf but the girl is into other things. None of them like running, haha!
How is it being a father in the city when you were a son in the village?
When we were growing up, there were no phones. My nine-year-old son has a phone. I spend time talking to them about the importance of using their phones responsibly and the values they should uphold.
How are you remaining a present father?
I dedicate time to my family, especially on Sunday after church. We do lunch and bond—and there are days I drop them at school just so I can connect with them.
Are you a strict father?
[Long pause] I am a loving father. I tell them the do’s and don’ts and correct them where they go wrong. I grew up in a household where we were beaten to instil discipline, but nowadays you just have to tell children what they need to do. Children look at what you say and do, then imitate what you do.
What changed in you when you became a father?
I became more responsible. It dawned on me that I am accountable for and to other people. Sometimes, even my children are asking me to fit into their plans. Being a father is being a leader—to the community, to your children, to your employees.
When you think of the word “father” what comes to mind?
Responsibility and caring.
With all these fatherhood responsibilities, who fathers you?
I bounce off other CEOs, especially when I am playing golf. Nobody has a monopoly of knowledge and therefore we have to keep learning.
What is your insecurity as a father?
If I lose control and respect as a father. You have to command that respect.
What would you change about how you were raised?
My dad passed on when I was quite young. I grew up in a polygamous setup. At school, our teachers were quite strict and fond of caning to discipline us. I would put myself in the shoes of the child and ask myself what would I do different?
What do you miss most about growing up in Kericho?
A simple life. We’d wake up, and play in the sun or rain—life was not as complicated as it is in Nairobi. In the village, you didn’t have to drive to move from one place to another—life was simple.
Do you go to the village often? With the children?
We try to, twice a year. They don’t like the countryside that much.
What is the boy who grew up in Kericho saying to the city man now?
You are a source of inspiration.
Did you ever feel the need to heal your inner child by getting the things you lacked in childhood?
It doesn’t bother me. As long as I am smartly dressed and can do my work—that’s what matters.
How do you show yourself love?
My me-time. I love running and I get time to watch golf and catch up with the world.
What is the most boring part about being you?
Haha! Being very demanding. I could text you at 1am, saying you owe me this report. Not everybody can take that level of pressure. Everything is about results, especially in the private sector.
Would you say your work has defined you?
I define my work. Being a planner, I write the things I need to accomplish. I deal with many stakeholders. The trick is to balance all their interests.
How then are you remaining spontaneous?
I do panic buying when I go to a new place, haha! Especially if it is something I really like, something sporty, like my iWatches.
What is something you are proud of but never get to brag about?
What we have achieved as KPC. We have an open environment that empowers workers and shapes them into leaders. I want to live a purposeful life, leave a lasting legacy and make a difference—a positive difference.
Can one have it all?
I try to leverage the positive side of life. We are all on a journey so that the people who come after us get inspired.
What’s your superpower?
Being able to switch between sports.
What is something I would be surprised to learn about you?
The selfless clamour to try and impact others.
What’s on your bucket list?
The 42km marathon. I have done Ngong hills, and Mt Longonot. I also want to climb Mt Kenya and hopefully, Mt Kilimanjaro.
I like to experience things.
Does your validation come from setting the goal or achieving it?
From achieving. I want to go after things. This year my goal is running the marathon.
When is it enough?
When I create an impact. Family is a big one—I want everyone to see me as a successful family man, especially my children. It’s not about running or climbing the mountain but the life lessons and the impact you can create.
What is one life lesson you have acquired so far?
Leaving a positive impact. Make someone a better person than you found them.
What will your billboard say about you?
A great man that lived, and left a lasting legacy.
Why is legacy so important to you?
We are in the world to make it better than we found it. I want to look back and say I did my part.
What have you finally come to terms with?
Appreciating that people are different. Peeling the onion and getting to know Eddy deeper is what matters.
What has been the biggest loss of your life?
I was out of work for four years in a court case that I was later vindicated. I have forgiven the people who took me through that process.
How does that change how you live your life?
You understand people because when you are a CEO you get many phone calls. When you stop being a CEO, the phone calls stop. Sometimes when you are out there, you find your closest friends could be that watchman. I have learned to appreciate everyone.
Are you ready for that day when your phone stops ringing?
I have been there already. I am ready. I will continue impacting society—whether in or outside Kenya Pipeline Company.
Who do you know that I should know?
The president. He means well for this country. He wants it to work and can change the country.
Will you introduce me to the president?
You probably have better connections than me haha! But why not?
