How much is S.K. Macharia Worth? S.K. Macharia Net Worth in 2026

By the Alux Research Team. How we estimate net worth

S.K. Macharia’s net worth is estimated at $25 million as of November 2026. His Royal Media Services runs Citizen TV, long ranked the most-watched channel in Kenya, yet its main listed rival, Nation Media Group, was valued by the stock market at just KSh 3.24 billion, about $25 million, in March 2026. That comparison says more about his wealth than any published list, and it is why our figure is far below the nine-figure sums sometimes quoted.

Net worth	$25 million (our estimate, range $15 million to $40 million)
Full name	Samuel Kamau Macharia
Born	1942, Ndakaini, Murang’a County, Kenya
Country	Kenya
Known for	Founder and chairman of Royal Media Services: Citizen TV, Inooro TV, Ramogi TV and Radio Citizen
Main income sources	Royal Media Services, private investments

How much is S.K. Macharia worth in 2026?

About $25 million, by our estimate, and a rough one. Royal Media Services is private and publishes no accounts, so we value it from the one hard revenue figure that has surfaced and from what investors pay for its listed rival. We use the Central Bank of Kenya rate of KSh 129.96 to the dollar for the week ending November 6, 2026.

How we got to $25 million

Source	Our estimate	What it rests on
Royal Media Services	$20 million	Our assumption, built on two numbers. Its advertising revenue was about KSh 300 million a month, or KSh 3.6 billion a year, in 2018 figures seen by a Kenyan business paper. Nation Media Group traded at about 0.54 times its 2025 revenue in March 2026. We give RMS 0.72 times, a premium because it has no loss-making newspaper arm, and apply that 2026 multiple to the 2018 revenue because no later RMS figure has been published, a mismatch that is one reason the range is wide: KSh 2.6 billion, or $20 million. Reports name him and his wife, Purity Gathoni, as owners; we count the couple’s holding as one because the split is not public.
Other companies and property	$5 million	Our assumption. He holds interests in Harbour Capital, Big Five Conservancy Safaris, Serenity Media Productions and Bushfire Media Distributors, and chairs Royal Credit. None publishes figures. His stake in Directline Assurance counts at zero: the insurer stopped operating in June 2024.
Total	$25 million	This one is a rough estimate: little of the money is documented.

The rival that set the price

On March 10, 2026, the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development agreed to sell its 54.08% of Nation Media Group to Taarifa Ltd, owned by Tanzanian businessman Rostam Azizi. The shares jumped 28.3% in two days to KSh 17, giving the whole company a market value of KSh 3.24 billion, Business Daily reported. That is for a group with KSh 6.04 billion in 2025 revenue across print, TV, radio and digital, which posted its third straight annual loss.

Our calculation: one public estimate puts Macharia at $320 million. At KSh 129.96 to the dollar that is KSh 41.6 billion, or 12.8 times the stock market value of all of Nation Media Group. Even if Royal Media is the stronger business, a gap that size needs evidence nobody has published.

A network built in borrowed rooms

Royal Media Services was founded in 1996, and early on its radio studios were set up in converted bathrooms, a former programmes executive recalled to Business Today. In its first five years or so the company opened as many as three radio stations a year.

Today it runs three TV channels, Citizen TV, Inooro TV and Ramogi TV, plus 13 radio stations and the Citizen Digital site, The Rio Times noted in October 2026. A 2025 Reuters Institute survey found Citizen TV reached 68% of its online sample each week. Money has gone the other way too: in 2018 RMS put KSh 600 million into Viusasa, its pay-per-view video platform, Business Today reported.

Before broadcasting he was an accountant who studied in Seattle, worked briefly at the World Bank in 1970, and in 1976 founded Madhupaper, the tissue maker behind the Rosy brand, according to his biography.

Why other estimates disagree

Public estimates range from about $25 million to more than $300 million. The $320 million figure is dated October 2024 and, like the other high ones, treats a large audience as if it were a large valuation; none show the company’s revenue or a comparable sale. The latest documented event tied to his money is the 2026 repricing of his main rival, not anything RMS has disclosed.

What would move the figure

Published accounts for Royal Media, or any sale of a stake in it, would replace our assumption overnight. So would the price Taarifa paid for Nation Media, which has not been disclosed.

S.K. Macharia net worth FAQ

What is S.K. Macharia’s net worth?

We estimate $25 million as of November 2026, with $20 million of it in Royal Media Services, which is private.

How much does Royal Media Services make?

It does not publish results. Advertising revenue was about KSh 300 million a month in 2018, roughly $2.3 million at today’s rate.

Who owns Citizen TV?

Royal Media Services, which reports describe as owned by S.K. Macharia and his wife, Purity Gathoni. He is its founder and chairman.

Is S.K. Macharia a billionaire?

Not in dollars, by our estimate. In shillings he is: $25 million is about KSh 3.2 billion.

How many stations does Royal Media Services own?

Three TV channels, Citizen TV, Inooro TV and Ramogi TV, and 13 radio stations as of October 2026.

What did S.K. Macharia do before Citizen TV?

He trained as an accountant, worked in Kenyan government finance and briefly at the World Bank, and in 1976 founded the tissue maker Madhupaper.

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How we estimate net worth

Our estimates are based on public reporting, company valuations, and deal and earnings figures all compiled in an internal valuation model. They are approximate, and figures change over time as new information emerges.

Last updated: November 2026.