In a previous candid conversation with Kamene Goro, Maina Kageni confirmed that he earns over Sh2 million from his job at Classic 105 FM.
"How much do you get paid, like your take home from here just being on radio?" Kamene questioned.
“How much do I get paid? From Radio Africa? About two point something million,” he answered.
The conversation took place some time in 2022, so assuming his salary was not revised downwards, Kageni ranks among the highest paid media personalities.
The veteran broadcaster, who has spent 22 years in the radio industry, also shared some of the things that have made him successful in media.
Maina attributes his success in radio to his unwavering love for the job. He stumbled into the profession by chance after being asked to pay Sh40,000 for a voice-over recording while booking an advert on Capital FM.
With no money to pay, he offered to do the recording himself and impressed the producer, who encouraged him to pursue a career as a radio presenter.
“Basically if I had Sh40,000 that day I would never have been on radio,” he said.
As a testament of the value of his radio income, Kageni has insured his voice for sh100 million.
Maina told his co-host Mwalimu King’ang’i during a past show that in the event that he lost his voice and was unable to perform his job as a presenter, he would be paid Sh100 million.
"If I lost my voice today, I would be paid a total of Ksh 100 million... have you not insured your voice?" he posed as the two laughed.
Maina Kageni's multiple sources of income
Apart from radio, Maina has multiple sources of income, including working with politicians on PR and marketing and running his own initiatives that are sponsored by big companies.
Kageni said he believes that having a single source of revenue is risky and always emphasizes the need for people to have side hustles.
“The day you have only one revenue stream you are finished,” he stated.
How Maina Kageni made his first million
Maina made his first million while working for Kiss FM. After being poached from Nation FM, his new boss gave him a signing bonus of two months' gross salary.
“I went away for two weeks and before I returned I had made done a few gigs and before I knew it I had banked Sh1 million. I was a baby I was 21 or 22,” he recalled.
In a past interview, he said that he was poached from Nation FM with an offer of over Sh300,000 at the time. This means he received a bonus of over Sh600,000.
“I get a call from Patrick Quarcoo, and we agree to meet at the Trattoria…So we sit down and he says you need to come. That time the phrase was make the ‘Big Switch to Kiss 100’.
So we talked about my salary; Nation were paying me Sh60K, so I told him I was earning Sh180, 000 and he doubled it. So he gave me Sh360K, and said join Kiss 100… I finish my tea and say I will get back to you. Went back to Nation and told my boss about the deal and he said Go. I left with his blessings and he said you can always come back but you need to go there,” he said in apast conversation with Jalang'o.
Maina attributed his passion for women and his ability to understand them to his female best friends, business partners, and mentors. He advised that surrounding oneself with inspiring people is crucial to achieving success.
Day in the life of Maina Kageni
Maina's day starts at 4:30 am, when he watches international news before heading to the office to read local news and prepare for his Maina and King’ang’i show.
“I am here (radio) until 10:00 am then I go look for my own money, Maina Kageni corporation. If you don’t get a cheque every day you are not moving forward. Then I try to be home by 4:30 pm because I can’t miss Judge Judy show,” he said.
Maina then winds up the night with Najia movies before going to bed by 11:00 pm.
Kageni's story serves as an inspiration to many and is proof that with passion, dedication, and hard work, anyone can achieve their dreams.