- In many instances, the tycoon declined payment for the good deeds he undertook, saying he was happy to give back to the community
- With his death, the fate of several charity projects benefiting thousands of residents at the Coast hangs in the balance
Image: HANDOUT
Huxley Mwadzoya, 48, was standing in line waiting to be served at an office opposite the Royal Court Hotel in Mombasa.
It was around 2 pm on Thursday when he heard the devastating news.
“My girl had just left for school for the third term. I was there because I was waiting for the third-term fees for my daughter. Then they told us the news,” Mwadzoya said.
His 15-year-old daughter, Doreen Idza, is a Form Two student at Kibirigwi Secondary School in Kirinyaga County.
She is a beneficiary of the late Hasmukh Patel’s philanthropy, where she was on a scholarship from the Mombasa Cement Company.
“I cried. I knew I am finished and now I don’t know what will happen and what to do,” Mwadzoya said.
Through the company, Idza was part of the over 10,000 learners who have benefited from the tycoon's charity and big heart.
Patel, 58, died on Thursday at 1 pm at Premier Hospital in Nyali, where he was rushed for attention.
He was pronounced dead on arrival.
Tudor MCA Samir Bhaloo said Patel was at home, generally well, until he suddenly collapsed.
With his death, the fate of several charity projects benefiting thousands of residents at the Coast hangs in the balance.
He touched lives
Rama Menza, a casual worker at the godowns in Shimanzi, says he usually treks to the company's Kibarani Miracle Park for breakfast and lunch, on his way to and from his workplace.
“I eat there every day. It saves me food money as I use the little I get from my inconsistent job for other things like rent. Sometimes I don’t get work so I just pass there for meals,” Menza says.
He is among 40,000 people who are fed daily through the business mogul’s feeding programme in Mombasa.
Margaret Maluni was shocked to hear the news from the Star, which had contacted her for comment.
Maluni, like 3,000 other families, were able to accord their loved ones a decent burial, thanks to Patel’s helping hand.
When her son Kennedy, who was attacked by thugs and killed in Mamlai, Changamwe, in June last year, Maluni could not foot the bills.
She could neither afford to pay the mortuary fees nor the burial costs.
Through charity officer Imtiaz Sayani, Patel came to Maluni's aid.
Almost all the funeral and hospital bills, including transportation costs to Kitui, where she buried her son, were catered for.
The mogul also extended support to persons with disabilities.
In Mombasa alone, 600 PWDs benefited from Patel’s charitable work.
He paid house rent for jobless PWDs who faced eviction threats.
Abulaziz Shekue, the county's Disability Leaders Forum deputy chairman, said PWDs had received help for the past seven years.
“I am one of the beneficiaries. His leadership was non-partisan. He used to help all regardless of race, colour, religion, or tribe so long as he sees you are needy,” Shekue told the Star.
Some of their members, who fell sick, had their hospital bills paid for by Patel.
“We had almost forgotten about NHIF because of his help. It is a big blow to the PWD community in Mombasa and beyond,” Shekue said.
Those registered with the Kenya National Council for Persons with Disability received a Sh3,000 stipend.
“If you are registered with the council, he made special cards for us. It is these cards that we use to get the monthly stipend,” Shekue said.
“Mombasa is in a dilemma. The blow is big for Mombasa,” he said.
Through Mombasa Cement and other companies, Patel ran Sahajanand Special School, which has more than 1,000 learners in Mtwapa.
None of the learners pay fees.
“The food, the accommodation, the therapy sessions, all the necessities are catered for,” Shekue said.
PWDs in sports were also supported.
“Whenever they have trips, events, or tournaments, Mzee sponsors us. He was there for us. Now we don’t know our fate,” Shekue said.
Patel's generosity got him recognised by social welfare organisations across Gujarat and Kenya.
Through him, the former Kibarani dumpsite was reconditioned into a recreational park, spending about Sh700 million in the project.
He was involved in a restorative camp to treat cancer in young women in 2015 and championed causes to encourage girls’ education.
In many instances, the tycoon declined payment for the good deeds he undertook, saying he was happy to give back to the community.
His early years
Born in 1967 to Dhanbai and Kanjibhai Patel, the billionaire was the youngest among four siblings.
Maneesh Media’s Untold Stories described him as "the dearest and most pampered" of the four.
He grew up in such a close-knit family, that Patel grew up believing he had two sets of parents - his biological ones and the other, his uncle and aunt.
The Patel men worked in the family business while their spouses raised the children together.
While his elder brother, Arvind, was studying at the University of Massachusetts, in the US, Patel decided to quit his studies to start working.
He was only 17.
Upon his return, Arvind too joined the family business.
Together, the two senior and two junior Patels took it to newer heights, expanding and in 1995, venturing into Uganda.
Their success encouraged them to invest in another plant and the Mombasa Cement limited was born.