Karibu magazine 2nd Edition

ONE ON ONE WITH
MR SEED
Mr. Seed is perhaps one of the best known Kenyans in the UK.
He is best known for his community website www.misterseed.com
Alex Kamau spoke to him to understand who he is and gather his thoughts on the
life, opportunities and challenges facing Kenyans in the UK;
and what he would wish to be remembered for.
Tell us about yourself. Who is Mr. Seed?
Mr. Seed is a simple man from the slopes of the
Aberdares in Muranga County, Kenya. My real names
are Peter Njiiri Karanja a grandchild of Senior Chief
Njiiri wa Karanja.
What was your childhood or earliest
ambition?
My childhood ambition was to be a banker and
possibly go on to become a politician. How I came
to be an online journalist in London I don’t know.
I would say it is God who led me that way. I am no
longer interested in joining politics and I am happy
to serve the community as I am doing today.
Who was or is your mentor or earliest
inspiration?
My earliest inspiration was my uncle the late Mr.
Kariuki Njiiri (an elder brother to my dad). He had
graduated from a university in the US in 1956.
When I was young my father encouraged me to
study like him. He became an MP for Kigumo in
Muranga County. He is the one who surrendered
his Legislative Council seat (Legco) to Mzee Jomo
Kenyatta in 1961 after he was released from
detention. Perhaps had Kariuki not given up the seat
Kenyatta’s story would have been different.
How and when did your come to the UK?
I came to the UK in the early nineties. I came to visit
my relatives in UK and got stuck in. My family later
joined me and we have since made both a family
and a home here.
You are perhaps one of the best known
Kenyans in the diaspora? How did that come
about?
I can only say it is by the grace of God. I never
expected to be popular in the Kenyans in diaspora.
I think my service to the community from all corners
of UK have made me popular. I am grateful and take
it as a privilege.
What is your greatest achievement so far?
My greatest achievement is in my family. Me and
my wife are grateful that we have been able to raise
and educate our five children to the university level.
Four of them are now married. To me that is my
priority. Indeed even if you achieved a lot of other
things in life and fail to bring up a good family your
achievements could lead to nothing. On the other
hand I have used my brand name Misterseed to help
thousands of Kenyans in the diaspora in one way or
the other. More than 18 Kenyans have married after
making contacts in our website. I have many people
who would not have bought property in Kenya in
the areas they would have liked but through our
website they got the relevant information and hence
bought the properties of their choice.
What is your greatest disappointment?
My biggest disappointment in the UK has largely
been seeing Kenyans trying to undo and destroy
each other which is very disappointing.
1ST EDITION | JULY 2016 17