Mohammed ‘Mo’ Dewji is a household name in Tanzania – if not for the hundreds of affordable household consumables produced by his company and branded in his name, then for the billions of shillings he has donated to the country’s poorest.
Now, East Africa’s richest man is setting his sights on Kenya, not just for business, but for philanthropy as well.
Until last week, Dewji was a little-known figure to many Kenyans who had no business keeping tabs on Africa’s deep-pocketed business elite. But his plans to venture into the country’s highly concentrated beverage industry have got many asking: who is Dewji?
With an estimated net worth of about $2.2 billion (Sh285 billion), he ranks among East Africa’s wealthiest individuals. But wealth alone does not define him.
In Tanzania, his name is closely tied to both mass-market consumer goods and large-scale charitable giving – a dual identity that now follows him into Kenya.
Thriving in Kenya’s beverage industry will not be easy. It is a highly concentrated market dominated by global and regional giants, with Coca-Cola controlling a significant share. But Dewji says he is prepared for the challenge.
He argues that his life has been shaped by adversity, ambition and survival, all of which have prepared him for difficult markets.
‘We cannot afford to ignore Kenya because it is the largest economy in our region,’ he says. ‘Yes, Kenya is more advanced and more competitive, but if you are taking a long-term view, then it is a country you cannot ignore.’
His company plans to build a Sh6.5 billion soft drinks plant in Mombasa, producing low-cost beverages such as Mo Cola, placing him in direct competition with established players in Kenya’s fast-moving consumer goods sector, where margins are tight and brand loyalty is strong. Many have tried and struggled to break into this space, but Dewji believes the opportunity is too significant to overlook.
Read: East Africa richest man takes on Coca Cola with Sh6.5bn Kenya plant
He speaks with confidence about expanding beyond beverages. Energy, power production and hospitality are also in his sights – sectors that align with Kenya’s broader push to attract foreign investment.
The selection is not by chance. These are some of the sectors that have built Dewji into the region’s wealthiest man.
Dewji is the president and CEO of Mohammed Enterprises Tanzania Limited (MeTL Group), one of Tanzania’s largest and most diversified conglomerates. Over the years, the company has expanded into manufacturing, agriculture, energy and services, building a portfolio that mirrors the structure of many large family-owned African business groups.
In Tanzania, MeTL produces flour, cooking oil, detergents and textiles, and is also involved in sisal processing. Beyond manufacturing, it has interests in energy, petroleum, agribusiness, insurance and pharmaceuticals. Hospitality is the group’s newest frontier.
Dewji says the company is now investing in high-end tourism infrastructure, including luxury hotels and tourism assets.
‘We need to offer top-quality tourism experiences,’ he says. ‘For the first time in our history, we are investing in two luxury hotels. I have also acquired an island in Zanzibar and have a concession in the Serengeti.’
But behind the straight-talking, steady, shrewd businessman who seems to have mastered the capitalism playbook is a family man with a heart for the vulnerable. To him, life means nothing without giving and helping others.
He argues that MeTL was originally built with a focus on affordability, aiming to serve low-income consumers with essential goods at accessible prices.
Yet over time, his ambitions expanded beyond business.
He first entered public life through politics more than two decades ago, driven by what he describes as a desire to solve social problems more directly. One moment in particular shaped that decision.
‘When I saw an old man drinking dirty water because it was all he could access, I decided to run for office,’ he recalls. ‘My father told me to leave politics alone, that we were business people. But I wanted to help.’
Although he later left politics, the motivation behind it did not disappear. ‘I am done with politics. I am an entrepreneur,’ he says. ‘But the philanthropy is just starting.’
His giving has since grown into large-scale initiatives, particularly in health and access to essential services. Recently, he was named among the world’s most influential philanthropists by TIME Magazine, alongside global figures such as Rihanna, Lionel Messi and Idris Elba.
So far, most of his philanthropic work has been concentrated in Tanzania, especially in central regions where he has personal and family roots. Now, he says he is looking to extend that work across East Africa.
One of his most ambitious stated goals is the elimination of cataracts and vision impairment in the region.
‘My vision is to eliminate cataract and vision problems not only in Tanzania but in East Africa,’ he says.
Cataracts remain a significant cause of preventable blindness across parts of Africa, often affecting older populations and those without access to surgical care. Dewji estimates that the condition costs Tanzania tens of millions of dollars in lost productivity annually.
Kenya is among the countries he believes carries a significant burden of the condition. He has previously spoken about plans to fund large-scale surgical interventions, although the exact scale and implementation would depend on partnerships with health systems and medical providers.
If fully realised at scale, such interventions would represent one of the largest private philanthropic health commitments in the region.
Dewji is also one of only a small number of African billionaires who have signed the Giving Pledge, an initiative started by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett encouraging billionaires to donate at least half of their wealth to charity. Others on the list include South Africa’s Patrice Motsepe, Zimbabwe’s Strive Masiyiwa and Sudanese-American philanthropist Mohammed Ibrahim.
For Dewji, philanthropy is not separate from his identity as a businessman. It is part of the same philosophy that shaped his early life and career.
‘I came into this world under difficult circumstances,’ he says, reflecting on complications around his birth in Singida, a semi-urban town in central Tanzania. ‘I almost did not survive. That is something I do not take for granted.’
His perspective was further shaped by a traumatic experience in 2018, when he was kidnapped in Dar es Salaam and held for several days before being released. The incident, he says, changed how he views both wealth and responsibility.
‘Where have you seen a rich man being kidnapped and poor people praying for him?’ he says. ‘It happened to me. I thank God for a new life.’
Today, Dewji presents himself as a businessman guided by both ambition and reflection. He speaks of markets, investment and competition with the same ease as he speaks about faith, service and mortality.
‘This life is transient,’ he says. ‘We must live with meaning, humility and respect. God has blessed some of us more than others, but everyone has a test.’
In Kenya, that philosophy will now be tested in a new environment: a competitive market where business success and public impact will be judged side by side.