State House, Nairobi
“It has been decided that we no longer need your service.”
Those words stunned Isaac Maina Wandere. They were uttered by a senior government official informing Mr Wandere that his events and catering firm, Wanderjoy Party World Limited, had been discontinued from offering services at State House events.
There was no farewell party, just an abrupt note of termination. The end of the Uhuru Kenyatta era marked the end of Wanderjoy at State House.
The termination happened just a few weeks before the inauguration of then President-elect William Ruto at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, Nairobi, on September 13, 2022, where his firm had spent almost a month setting up structures for the big event.
Wanderjoy Party World Limited had served presidential events for close to three decades under the reign of the late President Daniel arap Moi, the late Mwai Kibaki, and retired President Uhuru Kenyatta, and the exit was a shocker for a man who is owed Sh7.7 billion by the State over unpaid bills accumulated over the years as regimes changed hands.
“I am an honest businessman who had money, rendered services to the State, and I have never been paid,” Mr Wandere says.
The Sh7.7 billion Mr Wandere is referring to is an active matter in court, where he has sued State House over the cancelled tender following the regime change in 2022, claiming the State owes him billions for catering and events management services rendered during presidential events.
Mr Wandere terms the incident as one of his lowest moments in business. Resentment initially took hold, and he opted for a civil lawsuit that has been pending in court.
Isaac Maina Wandere of Wanderjoy Party World Limited.
“I had taken bank loans to service the business. The banks are after me even as we speak. I had to fire close to 2,000 employees, both permanent and casual. Some moved to court and sued us. I lost people I thought were my friends and believed they could help me. You see… when you are close to power, people call because they think you can solve their problems. People call positions, not you as an individual, and that is the truth I learnt late,” Mr Wandere says.
He fights off the “billionaire businessman” tag and admits things are not rosy.
“I am struggling. I am not doing well. Most of my money is out there where I am owed billions. So calling me a billionaire would be lying to your readers. I am a businessman, and I don’t have money. I am pleading with banks, and I was recently conned Sh10.5 million by a sitting Member of Parliament while selling my personal car, a Mercedes-Benz S600. You see, Kenyans assume that just because you have a big brand you are automatically rich. You can be famous or popular and be broke. Wealth is created through diversification, where there is flow in income sources. Wanderjoy is more into the service industry, not production or manufacturing,” Mr Wandere notes.
He speaks in a low tone, that of a man whose fortunes have fallen and who is trying to rebuild. I let him talk and tell his story.
“I have learnt a lot since 2022—that when you are down, the people you thought were your friends are the ones who want to buy you out or push you out of the business, and they do so at your lowest moment when you don’t have bargaining power. But I am not a bitter person because when you become one, you can’t innovate anything,” Mr Wandere says, maintaining that growing up in a church pew has strengthened his faith that things will get better.
Mr Wandere says that of late, he has been spending most of his time in court defending his property against land grabbers who wanted to evict him from his premises along Kiambu Road, where his flagship business, Wanderjoy Party World Limited, operates.
He says that were it not for the courts, he would now be scouting for new premises for his struggling business.
On March 25, 2026, the Environment and Land Court sitting in Nairobi ruled that the lease of a two-acre piece of land where Wanderjoy Party World Limited operates legally belongs to him, ordering the cancellation of an earlier title issued to businesswoman Catherine Kibui, James Githere, and Jonathan Maara, which had been tied to a bank loan taken by businessman John Ruhangi, who also claimed ownership.
At the heart of the dispute is parcel LR No. 27/326, measuring approximately 0.8017 hectares (two acres), situated in Ridgeways Estate along Kiambu Road. The suit property arose from the subdivision of the original LR No. 27/8, measuring 21 acres.
Court documents in possession of the Nation reveal a complex web in which Mr Ruhangi allegedly forged a title deed, used it to secure a Sh6.5 million bank loan, and later defaulted, prompting the property to be put up for public auction.
Isaac Maina Wandere of Wanderjoy Party World Limited.
“The first point of call relates to the title of the suit land. The agreement in the charge between the parties indicates that the loan was advanced ‘upon receipt by the bank of the original title. The title of the suit land is ‘missing in action’ in the entire proceedings. The court has already termed the deed of conveyance, where Githere and Maara were selling the land to Ruhangi, as an illegal and invalid document, as there is no explanation as to how public land had reverted back to Githere and Maara. Thus, even as the bank was purporting to advance the loan facility to Ruhangi, there was no security anchored on the suit property,” Justice Lucy Mbugua said in a ruling delivered late last month.
Justice Mbugua further noted that the title held by Mr Ruhangi was fraudulently acquired and that there was sufficient evidence to prove Wanderjoy Party World Limited had a legitimate claim, citing an active lease between Nairobi County and Mr Wandere that had not expired, having been effected on January 1, 2008.
The court also noted that Mr Githere and Mr Maara did not appear for the hearing of their cases; hence, their claims were dismissed.
Justice Mbugua also observed that the charging of the suit land by Ruhangi was yet another telltale sign of alleged fraudulent schemes to dispose of the land, and that the registration of the property in his name was itself questionable. She ordered that the mother title be rectified and reverted to Nairobi County.
“The permission to occupy the suit land given to the 6th defendant (Wanderjoy Party World Limited) by the 5th defendant (Nairobi County) can continue. An order is hereby issued declaring that the registration of parcel L.R. 27/326 in the name of John Peter Kamau Ruhangi is illegal, null and void, and the said registration is hereby cancelled. An order is hereby issued for the cancellation of any title document or indenture of conveyance or any entries made at the Lands Registry stating that David Mburu Githere, George Jonathan Maara, John Peter Kamau Ruhangi, and Gumchem Limited have any interest in the parcel of land reference number 27/326,” the ruling reads.
The court also ordered that all transactions relating to the charge for parcel 27/326, including the purported sale of the land between John Peter Kamau Ruhangi and Paramount Universal Bank Limited, be declared illegal and invalid.
Mr Wandere says the landmark ruling heralds a new chapter for his business even as his fortunes dwindle. He says he is not bitter with anyone and remains optimistic that the company will regain its footing.
“Wanderjoy has for many years served many clients diligently. We cannot say it is over for us. Most of the clients who have walked this journey with us have even advised us to venture into events consultancy, and we are upbeat about it,” he says.
Wandere declined to discuss his interactions with the former presidents he served under or the lessons he drew from them.
“I am not here to discuss the personality of any individual or bad-mouth anyone. No, that is not me,” he said.
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