Samuel Kamau Macharia

Samuel Kamau Macharia (born 1942), also known as S.K. Macharia, is a Kenyan entrepreneur and media proprietor who serves as the founder and chairman of Royal Media Services, one of Kenya's largest private radio and television networks, with flagship outlets including Citizen TV and Radio Citizen.

In a 2012 feature, Forbes Africa described Macharia as "Africa’s Ted Turner," referencing his impact on the region's media industry through Royal Media Services.

Early life and education Samuel Kamau Macharia was born in 1942 in Ndakaini Village, Murang'a County, Kenya, as the second of four children in a family working as squatters on British settler plantations under colonial rule.

Career After returning to Kenya in 1969, Macharia worked as a provincial local government finance officer in the Ministry of Local Government. He later held positions at the Industrial and Commercial Development Corporation (ICDC) and Kenya Industrial Estates (KIE).

After completing his studies in the United States, Macharia briefly worked as a financial analyst for the World Bank in 1970, prior to returning to Kenya to take up various roles in the public and private sectors.

In 1973, he was appointed head of a task force charged with auditing and later liquidating the Agricultural Development Corporation.

Madhupaper In 1979, Macharia resigned from public service to focus on Madhupaper International Kenya Limited, a tissue manufacturing company he had founded in 1976. The company produced the "Rosy" brand of tissue paper and, by 1985, was the only tissue manufacturer in Kenya, employing approximately 300 people. It was placed under receivership on 25 October 1985, by Kenya Commercial Bank.

Royal Media Services Macharia founded Royal Media Services (RMS) in the late 1990s, initially with modest resources. Frustrated by limited access to the state-controlled media space, he established RMS to provide independent broadcasting alternatives in Kenya. Royal Media Services’ radio stations reached approximately 80% of Kenya's population, with Radio Citizen alone accounting for 43% of the radio market share.

Awards 2015 Eastern Africa Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Lifetime Award Honorary Doctorate, University of Nairobi