Worked with 6 presidents: Winnie Odinga's side hustle earning her millions
This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.
- Winnie Odinga founded The BrickHouse Counsel in 2017, a Nairobi-based consultancy that has worked with six African presidents
- The firm has also partnered with English Premier League club Everton FC, bridging African political strategy with international sports branding
- Odinga, who holds an MBA and two bachelor's degrees, described her EALA parliamentary role as a side gig compared to her consultancy work
Winnie Odinga, the youngest daughter of the late opposition leader Raila Odinga, has built a strategic communications firm whose client list spans African heads of state and a top-flight English football club, positioning herself as one of the continent's most sought-after political consultants at just 35 years old.
BrickHouse Counsel's high-profile portfolio
Established in 2017 and based in Nairobi's Kileleshwa neighbourhood, The BrickHouse Counsel specialises in digital campaigns, political branding, and strategic public relations.
The firm has advised six sitting and former African presidents: Kenya's Uhuru Kenyatta, Tanzania's Samia Suluhu and the late John Magufuli, the DRC's Félix Tshisekedi, Ivory Coast's Alassane Ouattara, and Zambia's Hakainde Hichilema.
The consultancy has also worked with English Premier League side Everton FC, alongside institutional clients such as the African Union Development Agency and the LAPSSET Corridor Development Authority. Across her career, Winnie has personally managed communications for five presidential campaigns on the continent.
In her latest interview with Nigerian journalist Edmund Obilo, Winnie noted that the firm's operations were currently quiet and lacking the full impact of her leadership because she had been preoccupied with political matters, sorting out her late father's estate, and dealing with his passing.
From driver and aide to chief executive
Winnie's path to running the firm began not in a boardroom but alongside her father, where she served as his personal aide, driver, and confidante during his years in opposition politics. She credits that grounding in frontline political work as the foundation for her consultancy.
Her formal training reinforced that experience. Winnie holds two undergraduate degrees in Corporate Communication and International Business and Economics from Drexel University in Philadelphia, as well as a Master of Business Administration from the United States International University in Nairobi.
Parliamentary role described as a side gig
Winnie currently serves as a Member of the East African Legislative Assembly, representing Kenya as the youngest female MP in that body. Her monthly parliamentary salary stands at roughly KSh 1 million, yet she has been open about the fact that The BrickHouse Counsel is her principal source of income.
"I do this side gig where I am the youngest female MP for Kenya in the East African Legislative Assembly. I earn most of my income from my digital communications company, The BrickHouse Counsel," she said at a 2023 public event.
The firm's stated mission of assisting international clients to do business in Kenya reflects a strategy that positions it as a bridge between African governance structures and foreign commercial interests.
Winnie has spoken candidly about the period following her father's 2013 election defeat, when she was applying for jobs at a time when many assumed the Odinga political name had lost its currency.
Friends and colleagues have long called her "Kazi," Swahili for "work," a nickname she has embraced as a reflection of her approach to both business and public life.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
Reporting originally appeared via TUKO. Read the full source for additional context.