Macharia's push into media stemmed from his experiences in the early 1990s. A successful businessman who had previously founded a tissue paper company Madhupaper, he supported opposition figure Jaramogi Oginga Odinga during the 1992 multi-party elections.
He paid for political advertisements on the state-owned Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), but they were never aired due to bias toward Moi's government. This disappointment, combined with the lack of independent broadcasting options (only KBC and KTN held licenses at the time), motivated him to seek his own platform.
Speaking during the burial of Col (Rtd) James Gitahi in Machakos on Saturday, Royal Media Services (RMS) Chairman SK Macharia revealed the battle with Cabinet Secretaries that led to the birth of RMS in 1999. “Royal Media Services was started because of Raila’s father,” he said.
According to the outspoken media mogul, RMS was created due to disappointment from the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC).
While addressing mourners at the burial of a close friend and ally, Macharia revealed that during the 1992 general elections, he paid for advertisements for Oginga Odinga at the national broadcaster, who was challenging, among others, Kenneth Matiba.
The most prominent "war" occurred when Macharia sought to establish private radio and TV stations in the 1990s, a time when media was tightly controlled by the state-owned Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), which favored Moi's regime.
In the 1992 multi-party elections, Macharia supported opposition leader Jaramogi Oginga Odinga father of Raila Odinga against Moi, Kibaki, and Matiba. He paid for ads on KBC, but they were never aired due to bias toward Moi leading to Jaramogi's loss and Macharia's frustration with state media monopoly.
This inspired him to apply for private broadcasting licenses. After years of delays, he won a court order in the mid-1990s directing the issuance of licenses.
Besides being powerful in Kenya he is also a family man married to one beautiful wife
Macharia is married to Purity Gathoni Macharia, and together they have six children, four sons and two daughters. His wife, Gathoni, is noted for her support throughout his professional and academic journey, especially during their years abroad.
The family’s life abroad began in the 1960s when they relocated to the United States for his higher education.
While in the U.S., Macharia balanced family responsibilities with full-time work and evening studies, often working double shifts to support both his household and academic pursuits.
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