is a Ugandan Tycoon Who Built Times Tower, NSSF Building, Kabarak University & Moi High School-Kabarak. He also constructed the Mombasa road and had a site at Machakos junction. James Mugoya is an engineer and a billionaire businessman.He is the founder and owner of the famous Mugoya Construction & Engineering Limited, behind the construction of some of the most iconic projects in Kenya.
Mugoya was one of the most politically-connected contractors in Kenya and bagged several development projects during the reign of late Mzee moi. The iconic Times Towers and the NSSF Embakasi housing projects are some of the notable projects undertaken by the company.
Mugoya was born in 1950 in Eastern Uganda. He attended Uganda’s Bulyansime Primary before joining Iganga Boys. He then proceeded to King’s College Budo before later joining the University of Nairobi, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering.
He graduated on October 26, 1971, at a ceremony witnessed by President Jomo Kenyatta. He was registered as Abiam JM Isabirye in a class that had 46 students. During his time at UoN, Mugoya is said to have forged a great friendship with one of Mzee Moi’s sons.
Immediately after graduation, he founded Mugoya Construction & Engineering Limited, and almost immediately, he landed the deals to build the NSSF building and Hazina Estate. In 1992, Mugoya landed a tender to construct the 40-storey Times Tower building, which was the tallest at the time.
The project was financed by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) and the state. He also built Moi High School, Kabarak, Kabarak University, and the Kisumu Provincial Headquarters.
In 1995, NSSF awarded Mugoya a contract to construct 265 houses in Karen, together with an administration block, a clubhouse, and a kindergarten. However, the project failed to start due to pending approvals from the Nairobi City Council.
Mugoya was paid Ksh342 million in 2012 as an out-of-court settlement for the very project after he had initially claimed Ksh633 million. He wanted to buy a small town in Eastern Uganda called Busembatya to develop it into a city. Mugoya was once arrested and charged in Nairobi for defrauding KCB of hundreds of millions.
