Everybody remembers their first time. Most importantly, everybody remembers their initial thought after. The first time you saw one of the large billboards of a green taxi with the legs of a horse instead of wheels you must have thought, wait, what? Another thought: why would someone name a taxi-hailing company Faras? Perhaps it’s an allegory, a metaphor, or a visual riddle.
Allan Maimbu, Faras’s General Manager, is happy to explain the wisdom behind equine imagery and their marketing move. “Before us [Faras], cab hailing companies did not advertise,” he says. “We simply decided we would not fetch water at the beautiful girl’s wedding.”
Allan embodies the same audacity as the brand he represents, a provocateur — a chemical engineer who wishes he had pursued law instead. An author of a book on procrastination. (He’s a recovered procrastinator). A man for God. An unconventional straight shooter, entering his sphere means embracing unfiltered perspectives and untamed opinions, potentially overwhelming for those who might prefer solid ground beneath their feet. Which is to say, Allan himself is the metaphor.
Why would anyone name a hailing cab, Faras? Is the horse a metaphor of sorts?
[Smiles] Farasi is an Arabic word meaning horse, we just knocked off the ‘i’. Why a horse? Because a horse is strong, agile, and prestigious. And if you look at our logo, you’ll notice the horse doesn’t have an eye. So we removed the ‘i’ in Farasi and the eye from the horse. You follow?
So, a strong, agile, and prestigious blind horse...
[Chuckles] Well, someone may argue it’s a blind horse, but it’s not. We made the horse eyeless so that even if you attempted to fake our logo, you wouldn’t notice that little detail. It's a safety precaution.
Right. I also saw on your LinkedIn that you used to work for City Clock.
Yes, regional sales manager, that’s correct. I handled Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda. We were in Ethiopia, but the business didn't do well, so they pulled out.
Would you say you were selling time?
I would, technically. I studied chemical engineering in university, then went into the banking industry. I met the Faras guys when I was working for City Clock, and I remember telling my wife that I was moving, and she thought I was crazy.
Moving and leaving good medical cover and travel perks to join a new cab-hailing company at half salary? She was against it. But it’s worked out, and she is impressed.
We have changed this space; before us, our competitors didn’t advertise. Then they saw our aggressive advertising. If you don’t advertise, you will end up fetching water at the wedding of the beautiful girl. When you see a beautiful girl, you have to declare your intention—that’s advertising.
Faras Cabs General Manager Allan Maimbu, during an interview at the company’s headquarters in Nairobi along Valley Road on May 28, 2025.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation Media Group
People often say advertising or marketing is expensive, and I tell them if you stop advertising to save money, it’s like stopping a clock to save time. Your clock might be still, but the time will be moving.
Who rides Faras?
A Kenyan who doesn’t like driving around town. Most of the taxi users in Kenya are from the Kenyan Somali community. That’s the person riding Faras. I estimate that 60 percent are from the Kenyan Somali community, and 40 percent are other Kenyan communities.
What’s the one thing you invested your time in that you regret?
Studying chemical engineering for five years. I wish I studied law for four years. There’s a lot of opportunity in the legal field. Lawyers make easy money because there are so many things that happen within the business space that require a legal mind. If I had both knowledge in doing business and law, I would be like a supermarket, a one-stop shop.
Maybe you should go back to school and study law…
Oh yes, I will, in the next five years. I'll give you a call and tell you I've been admitted to the bar.
So what’s motivating you to join the legal profession, money?
No, solving a problem. They say if you want to make money, solve a problem. I realised there are so many problems within the business space that require legal minds.
I see you have a Bible on your desk. I have been doing these interviews for close to 15 years, and I’ve never interviewed someone with a Bible on their desk. What’s your relationship with religion?
Well, I’m a sound Christian. I believe in the true gospel of Jesus Christ. God is my pillar of strength; I find myself going back to Him when things are very thick. He does miracles when I ask Him to show His hand. Daily, when I get home, I thank Him for giving me a successful day. We always pray as a family before we sleep, and before we do anything.
When was the last time you felt like God let you down?
When I struggled with hyperthyroidism for four years. I didn’t know what was happening; doctors didn’t either until I got the right diagnosis. I lost weight; from 96 kg to 56 kg. Friends would get shocked at my weight loss when we met. They’d ask, what’s the problem? But I didn’t know. I resorted to avoiding social gatherings. I would lock myself in my bedroom.
At work, I preferred to avoid meetings because people would be shocked at my weight loss. It was draining psychologically. I felt like God had left me to suffer.
I was at the end of my rope, nearly giving up. After a lot of medication and surgery, I am healed now. The white hair you're seeing on my head is not because of my age…well, I’m not young, I’m 42.
White hair makes you look wiser, I guess?
Well, thank you. But even foolish people grow older. [Laughter]
What is your limitation as a man?
Women. You know, women are attracted to success and power, and if you give them leeway, they will bring you down. I’m very careful when I'm dealing with women.
Tell me about your mom.
She was a disciplinarian. I was brought up in a household headed by two teachers. They are both alive. My mom was a typical teacher; very strict. She beat us. She even tried to beat me when I was in university. [Chuckle] I had returned home late at night when everybody had slept. In the morning, I asked her, “Mom, why didn’t you leave me food on the table?” She was very upset. She was like, am I your wife? And then came for me, attempting to beat me up. My dad stopped her. [Laughs].
So now you get food left for you on the table by your wife?
Well, no. Neither do I demand it. Things are different now. There was a time my wife told me, on a light note, that I’m a dictator. I said, “If I’m a dictator, you’d not have been with me for 15 years.”
She said I’m a soft dictator. I told her that I have to be because every woman has the ability and the desire to control her man. So if you let them, they will control you. Very prominent men who are controlled by their wives are not very happy. That’s a fact.
So, sometimes you let her control you 40 percent, but retain the 60 percent control, your autonomy, yes. [Chuckles].
A friend told me he stopped cooking at home when one day he cooked chapati for his family, and the next time they were due to eat chapatis, his wife asked him if he would come home early and cook. He said no and hasn’t cooked again. He reasoned that his wife would make it his duty to make chapatis each time. “No” can be a powerful word in marriage if used correctly.
Are you a good husband or a good father?
I don’t think I’m a very good husband, but neither am I a bad husband; otherwise, she would have given up and left me. But I know I’m a great father. I spend time with my children, I’m invested in their well-being. I usually bring them to work so that they learn the value of money. We compete in savings; me with my son against my wife and my daughter.
Breaking The Cycle, a book by Allan Maimbu, pictured during an interview at his office in Nairobi along Valley Road on May 28, 2025.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation Media Group
Money is a great thing, but it can also be dangerous. It can distance you from people and from reality. I do not allow money to control my decisions or how I live.
My policy for money is when I make money, I pay myself first. So, if I make Sh100,000 today, and I owe you Sh30,000 that was due in three weeks, I won’t pay you. I will buy myself a new suit first. My policy is to save first. I also tithe.
What do you fear at 42?
To retire poor. Nobody likes a poor old man. Even children run away from him. But a rich old man, everybody likes him. People listen to you when you are old and with money; you are wise.
What drives you now?
My family and the vision I have for us. If you start walking without identifying your destination, then anywhere you are is a destination. I want to go back to school. I don't want to grow old and poor.
I want my children and extended family to still depend on me even in my old age. When I exit the active employment, what will I have left behind for my children and their children? I want to create a future for the younger generation.
What will motivate your children when they know you are leaving them wealth?
The Bible says that your children’s children will inherit your wealth. I tell mine that my wealth does not belong to them; it belongs to their children, to my grandchildren. My will will be for my grandchildren, not for them.
