Video: Capital FM founder Lynda Holt shares why she sold station to Chris Kirubi
This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.
- Lynda Holt, the woman behind Capital FM Kenya, sat down for a candid interview about the station's origins and her decision to eventually part ways with it
- The Capital FM founder addressed questions about how Chris Kirubi, a close friend, came to express interest in acquiring the station she had built
- Holt also reflected on what became of Capital FM after it changed hands, sharing her personal assessment of Kirubi's stewardship
Capital FM Kenya may be one of the country's most recognisable radio brands, but few Kenyans know the full story of how it came to be or how it ended up in the hands of business tycoon Chris Kirubi.
In a revealing interview published on Capital FM Kenya's official YouTube channel, Lynda Holt, the station's founder, sat down with host Chiko Lawi to pull back the curtain on one of Kenya's most significant media transactions.
How Chris Kirubi came into the picture
Holt described the sale as a personal crossroads rather than a purely commercial decision. By the time Kirubi approached her, she felt she had taken the station as far as she could on her own.
"I was at a point in my life where I felt I had done what I could with Capital FM and it was time for me to move on," she told Lawi. "Chris Kirubi was a friend, and he approached me and expressed interest in buying it. I knew that he had the resources and the drive to take Capital FM to the next level, so it made sense to pass the baton to him."
The late Chris Kirubi was a towering figure in Kenyan business, known for his investments across media, manufacturing and real estate. His acquisition of Capital FM became one of the defining chapters in his business career.
Holt's assessment of Kirubi's tenure
Looking back, Holt spoke warmly about what Kirubi did with the station after the handover.
Rather than dismantling what she had built, she said he preserved its character while pushing it into territory she acknowledged might have been beyond her own reach at the time.
"He really loved Capital FM," Holt said. "He took it and grew it, and he kept the spirit of what we had built alive, while also taking it to places I probably couldn't have on my own at that time."
The interview offers a rare glimpse into the personal motivations behind a transaction that reshaped Kenyan radio.
Holt comes across not as someone who walked away reluctantly, but as a founder who made a deliberate choice to hand her creation to someone she trusted.
Watch the full interview to hear Lynda Holt tell the Capital FM story in her own words:
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Source: TUKO.co.ke
Reporting originally appeared via TUKO. Read the full source for additional context.