He came to Nairobi with nothing but built an empire in landscaping

Today, he owns Garden Dreams, a collection of three roadside nurseries, with the United Nations, the Canadian Embassy and major brands like ArtCaffé among his clients.

“I am one of the landscapers who did the landscaping for all ArtCaffé’s outlets,” he says.

He now does landscaping not only in Kenya, but also in Uganda, Tanzania and occasionally in Botswana, and employs 13 full-time gardeners and over 40 people in total.

His first major contract at Village Market paid Sh500 per month, to do landscaping for the Café Latino and Pomodoro restaurants, which later increased to Sh1,500 monthly. The first time he earned good money was a project he did in Runda, earning Sh40,000. “That felt like a fortune,” he says.

He believes his business has grown because of his honesty. “I've never done marketing. Not even on social media. My clients spread the word for me. A client in Village Market once bluntly told him: ‘You did a bad job, but you’re a honest person.’

She later became one of my most loyal customers.”

His biggest breakthrough came in 2008 when a friend introduced him to the American Women’s Association. There, he met someone who hired him to work at the Canadian Deputy Ambassador’s residence.

“She convinced the embassy to give me smaller jobs. That’s how doors started opening,” says Mr Ikoha.

Among his most memorable projects are the landscaping he did for a private residence in Karen and another in Lakeview, which introduced him to one of the world’s leading architects, who is now based in the United Kingdom.

“She has referred me to clients in Nanyuki and the Maasai Mara for large projects,” he says.

At his nursery, located along Red Hill, Tom stopped counting the varieties of plants and flowers that he stocks. He has almost everything, from indigenous species, exotic collections, orchids, palms, to forest plants. It’s like a living museum of colour and texture.

His favourite? The Mukuna plants. “The Mukuna is actually very expensive,” he says. “I have both the red and purple varieties.” Then there are the palms. “I once sold a Butia palm for Sh75,000,” he says.

Golden palms cost around Sh25,000 to Sh30,000, depending on the size. Not everything here will empty your wallet, though. “For as little as Sh20, you can get a ground cover,” he says.

What excites him most? Colour. “You see those azaleas? They're perfect. They're selling for Sh25,000. They’re big enough and full of life,” he says.

“I'm a plant collector. I hunt down unique species that you won't easily find elsewhere. I add something new every day. Clients are really into indigenous species now because they’re rediscovering our native plants, after seeing the damage that exotic species have done to our environment.”

Sales fluctuate with the seasons. “During the rainy season, business picks up because planting is easier. During the dry season, sales slowdown, but we still sell two to three plants a day.”

But the journey to this success wasn’t easy. Mr Ikoha grew up in Imbale, a small village deep in the Kakamega countryside. As the eldest of eight children, he took on responsibilities that would have overwhelmed most young people. Even his school fees were his own burden to bear.

“I used to work on my aunt's farm during holidays in exchange for money for my education,” he says.

After Form Four, he moved in with relatives and helped look after animals and work on farms. It was there that someone noticed his gift for plants.

“You’re really good at farm work. What if I send you to college?” “The offer felt miraculous,” says Mr Ikoha.

He had initially dreamt of becoming a teacher. “I thought my grades would only get me that far.”

But life had other plans. Instead, he was enrolled for an agriculture course at the Kilifi Institute of Agriculture.

Fortunately, the government was sponsoring agricultural students. Mr Ikoha excelled, but he could not advance to the diploma level.

“My younger siblings needed support. Being the firstborn meant stepping back,” he says. He again started looking for odd jobs.

“I wanted to do something related to agriculture. But at first, I even worked with a veterinarian, handling dogs, before I found landscaping.” Months later, he started facing challenges at work and found himself job hunting, again.

Rosslyn River Garden Centre, one of Nairobi's premier landscaping firms, then hired him as an assistant nursery supervisor.

His starting salary was Sh2,800 monthly, a decent amount of money back then. “I bought a small house and felt so grateful. Life actually felt worth living,” he says.

However, three months into the job, he quit. He then met a young Indian entrepreneur who was starting her own landscaping business and hired him as foreman.

“It was an awesome experience. I could finally work without competing against anyone,” he says.

Unfortunately, the business hit a roadblock, and the owner relocated to Uganda. He then joined Plants Galore in 1999 and managed their landscaping and nursery operations for two years. His many years working for different landscaping companies shaped him.

“I learnt professionalism and environmental consciousness. Landscaping made me see Nairobi's environment differently. It showed me that we can all do something to restore nature,” says Tom.

In 2002, Tom was ready to start his own business. Using a bicycle gifted to him by a previous employer, he began delivering plants and grass across Nairobi. He sourced the plants from farmers in Denderu and Ruaka and bought grass from friends in the industry.

“I carried everything on that bicycle,” he says. “That bicycle made me feel like a millionaire. No one in my family had ever owned one.”

After saving for months, he bought his own for Sh2,500. “I called my father immediately and told him that we had a brand new bicycle. I even knelt and prayed.”

However, using a bicycle had its own share of challenges.

“I had a few accidents, but thank God I survived. It was also so slow. Imagine delivering 10 bags of grass, two at a time.”

In just two years, he had saved Sh175,000, which he used to buy an old pickup: “For me, it felt like real progress.”

Two years later, he registered his first business, TM Garden Realities. Later, he changed the name to Ecological Green Garden Landscape.

“Honestly, I didn’t love either name,” he says. “Then Garden Dreams.”

However, when he started using that name, everything fell apart. All three of his children got sick at once. His first pickup was involved in a fatal accident, which landed him in court. His second vehicle was stolen.

“I lost everything: vehicles, staff, and the business itself. Everything just collapsed.” For two years, he struggled to stay afloat. "But in 2008, I got back up."

He revived Garden Dreams with fresh determination. In 2009, he secured a bank loan for a new pickup.

Reflecting on his journey, Mr Ikoha says the key lessons have been courage and faith. “Fear kills dreams. Anyone can rise if they keep a positive mindset and stay focused.”

His advice to young people is straightforward: Work hard. Be honest. Don't steal.

“Too many young people want quick money. But there's real power in honesty and generosity,” says the 52-year-old.

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