Ronald Mutie loves to tell a good story. Like how he shows up for his kids, who are too small to know the ways the world beyond the gate could hurt them. Or how he got into this career. They wanted him to be a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer. But he had not read the script. He trusted the gods, who wrote him this character, as the Big Kahuna, the CEO of Karen Blixen Group, which owns, among other things, the Karen Blixen Museum.
He hasn’t done too shabbily for himself. It is here in Karen, which is eponymous to the Karen Blixen Coffee Garden, where the who’s who of the who’s frequent. Mutie remains unfazed, or if he is, he betrays not a flicker of it. This year, he says, he is not throwing pity parties. “I’ve been a good boy this year.”
Over a pork-bone broth of your dreams that your cardiologist should probably not know of, Mutie tells another story of Karen Blixen, and her coffee garden, and Karen estate, which is stuck between the ghosts of what it once was, and haunted by the mystery of what it will become, as the sibilant, sylvan silence surrounds us, making you feel a little, erm, out of Africa.
What has been the most exciting part of the year so far?
Tourism and hospitality are exciting all through because every day you learn something new. Our clients are almost 80 percent international. And there are so many challenges affecting such a kind of clientele. If there is recession, insecurity, or a fluctuating economy, they can't travel.
They have no money. It's a very sensitive part of business that depends a lot on the outside environment, but we keep bouncing back because people like to travel.
We were talking earlier about you taking a holiday before the festivities when it gets busy here. What did you do over the three weeks that you were away?
I combined both holiday and some work. I went to the US to New York, San Diego, and also ended up in Vancouver, Canada. I visited several places just to rewind and refresh and reset myself for the coming season.
Previously, I’ve travelled to beach areas in Watamu and Diani, and Mt Kenya and Samburu with my family. I avoid the Maasai Mara because we have property there, so we go any time [chuckles]. And of course, being a hotelier I want to see what other hotels are doing too…
You have pre-empted my question. How different is travelling as a hotelier for you?
You always want to pick something from that hotel, but you are on holiday [chuckles]. I want to see how they are setting their food. How is the service quality? How is it plated? How are the toilets? How clean? What extra facilities do they have? Are they sustainable? What kind of detergents, products are they using? I get to those details, and I make notes. I never stop working.
What's the first thing you do when you land in a new country or city?
Compared to our own country, how are the operations of that airport? The customs, the service from the immigration people, and the facilities, as I know our weaknesses and strengths. I start from the airport because I'm a hospitality person, then the movement from the airport to the hotel.
What has been the hardest part of this year?
The number of tourists this year has decreased in our own facilities by close to 15 percent and 20 percent. And when you convert that to revenue, it's several thousand dollars. That means you may not be able to maintain the number of staff or deliver to the quality you want because of costs.
There is no disposable income, and here we deal with high-net-worth and medium-net-worth individuals (the CEOs and GMs) who don’t seem to have that disposable income
That's on the business side. And on Ronald's side, personally?
For Ronald, I lead an organisation with about 300 staff, and as a leader, you want everyone to be happy, and that has been a challenge, to maintain their employment and remunerate them well to sustain their families. Of course, there is your normal malaria or something. Or your shoulder isn’t working right anymore e[chuckles]
Do you prefer December in Kenya or December away from the country?
December in Kenya because there are so many things happening in the industry. And we're also planning for next year.
What is a song that best summarises this year for you?
Eh! Haha! I am not a very good musician, and I don’t have a lot of hobbies.
Which meal or drink then summarises this year for you?
Red-dry wine.
What's the most Kenyan Christmas thing you look forward to every year?
Sitting together and finding that time to enjoy the local delicacy like nyama choma and a good drink. You bring your friends together, and that of course cleans your system, and you are ready for the next year.
Are you the one doing the roasting?
Yes, I am really good at that. I come from Ukambani and I have quite the number of goats. I even do the slaughtering. [chuckles]
Presuming you have children, have you passed down the gene?
I have tried, but those guys are different haha! They don’t want to see the slaughtering, but they will eat when it’s on the table [chuckles].
Do you have a family ritual over the holidays?
For us, either we do it in the village, or in our houses in Nairobi. So whoever is available, either family member, extended family, I can call them, or my brother, or cousin, will invite us and tell us they are holding a bash for us. And everything is on them [chuckles].
What habit have you kicked this year?
I don't think I've kicked any because I've been a very good boy this year haha! I've been a very good boy, very disciplined, no bad habits [chuckles].
Conversely, what has sustained you throughout the year?
Focus, and discipline. I have kids who are at the age where they need a lot of guidance from me, and in May this year, I decided to spend quality time with my daughter and sons and ensure I understand them fully.
I wanted them to pick quite a bit from me, and that has kept me going, despite also spending some time in the church.
What is the one fatherhood tip you can pass on?
Despite our busy schedules, it's important to take care of your family, especially the young ones who like your presence. People should not hide in their busy schedule; let the family be part of the busy schedule.
What would you want your children to remember about you when they are your age?
Discipline. Hard working. And they need to respect their seniors.
What have you had to unlearn to become a better father?
If you want to be a good father, it’s about democracy. It's a discussion; it’s very participatory, and there is no dictatorial parenthood anymore.
How are you stepping into 2026?
More energised. I want to be very positive with everything. Family, to work, to business.
Did you make any resolutions that you've kept this year?
No, no, no, no. I stopped making resolutions. You get frustrated. For example, I'm actually doing my PhD. And I said I will finish it this year [chuckles]. But I haven’t even finished my project, so I got frustrated. And that was goal number one. The only thing I do now is I just want to pray to have good health.
What success metric no longer defines you?
I would say, when it comes to success, I don't want to be limited by what people are doing or my weaknesses. They used to say, “Mwanaume ni effort.” But now they say, “Mwanaume ni success.” Man is success. I focus on my strengths and the positive side.
What are you apologising to yourself for this year?
No, no. I'll never do that. I'll take it the way it comes. Because you lose self-esteem, and you start seeing yourself as a weakling. Get up, dust yourself, and get moving.
Even as a young man, refuse to be defined by your failures, pick that section which looks like it will take you to Canaan, and get going.
