Pancras Karema: I Started My Travel Company at 23, Made My First Million at 25, Now I Employ 50 People

In Kenya, the average university fresher is preoccupied with finding footing in the whirlwind of new freedoms, navigating academics, and enjoying campus life. Rarely do first-year students entertain the idea of building an empire, especially not without money. But Pancras Karema, now the CEO of Expeditions Masai Safaris Tours Company, charted a new path. His story defies the conventional route and proves that ambition, creativity, and consistency can outweigh capital in the early stages of entrepreneurship.

At just 23, while still a first-year student, Karema quietly laid the foundation without start-up capital for his company, which he values at tens of millions of shillings, but remained mum over its specific net worth. While his peers were juggling CATs and class groups, Karema was assembling something greater, something lasting. 

A Leader by Nature, Not by Title

It all started with friendship. Karema was the unofficial planner in his group of friends—a role that often falls to that one dependable person who always knows a good spot for nyama choma, a scenic hiking trail, or where to get transport for a day trip.

The trips were simple: Get a group, hire a matatu, go on an adventure. But Karema did more than just coordinate, he created experiences that stuck with people. The word spread, and soon after, the programme extended to students from other universities around Nairobi City. 

“I started the business at 23 years old, and while a first-year student at the University (University of Nairobi). I was lucky that I started very early. I was very consistent because at the university, you do not have pressures and bills. After all, many things are catered for by parents. I did not even require capital, because I used university resources such as the internet and computers,” he told Money254 in an interview.

Karema’s startup didn’t need shiny offices or fancy SUVs in the beginning. In fact, he didn’t even need his own vehicle.

“I marketed services in the universities around Nairobi, and I did not need vehicles because I hired matatus with money I got from students,” he explained, noting that the university library was his office.

“Immediately after the first semester of the second year, I registered Expeditions Masai Safaris as a business. I started getting enquiries from students and people outside campus.”

What followed was a mix of trial, error, learning, and refining. Karema was not just planning trips anymore—he was building a brand. He dived into research, understood the tourism market, studied customer service, and watched how the big players did things.

Building the Brand

Today, Expeditions Maasai Safaris is valued in the tens of millions of Kenyan shillings. But when I asked Karema what the true value of his company was, he shrugged.

“(The value of the company) is in tens of millions of Kenyan shillings because we have worked for quite some time,” he confided, “Most times, we do not look at the money, we look at the impact we have had in the industry. We look at how many customers and families we have facilitated and ensured that they enjoyed their holiday.”

“Many people join expeditions while single and meet their soul mates through expeditions to form families. We have facilitated weddings for others, and now, they are raising children,” he cheekily stated, praising the company’s matchmaking capabilities.

Today, Karema employs 50 people directly and many more indirectly through partnerships with the businesses developing a footprint across the globe.

“We operate in Kenya, but we can take you anywhere in the world. We have partnered with many tour company owners and hotels around the World,” he asserted.

First Million

At 25 years old, Karema made his first million-shilling deal based off of a random phone call that culminated into a trip to Dubai.

"It was interesting how I made my first million. We oversaw trips in Kenya and outside the country. From nowhere, a person calls me and tells me that they need to do a corporate booking to Dubai," he narrated.

"Around 210 people came on board and from such group, it is not hard to make Ksh1 million."

His Investment

When the money started coming in, Karema didn’t rush to upgrade his lifestyle. He poured the profits right back into the business, growing the workforce, boosting marketing, and giving back to the community.

His philosophy is simple: build people, and the business will follow, and he is firm on one requirement: His staff must pursue a tourism-related training.

Beyond his business, Karema is a multi-sector investor with interests in real estate, farming, and transport. But travel remains at his core—not just for business, but for inspiration.

“As an individual, I invest in transport, real estate, and farming. I also invest in travel because I think that if you don't travel, you cannot be able to think out of the box. I travel a lot, I visit many countries so that I can benchmark on what they are doing differently,” he explains.

“My dream is to run one of the biggest tours and travel companies in Africa,” he adds.

The Setback That Almost Broke It All

In 2020 when Covid-19 hit, his company nearly collapsed. Expeditions Masai Safaris shut down for two years, and the tours stopped. But he bounced back.

“After 2 years of no business, we were happy to get back to business because the industry reopened bit by bit,” he recalled noting that it was a rough stretch. Some employees went home with half pay, others with nothing but his vision never waned.

Even though the company has recovered from the pandemic, the challenges haven’t stopped. He still struggles with a lack of finances, a toxic political environment, terrorism and the advisories that follow, poor infrastructure, and a fluctuating economy affecting his target market’s disposable income.

Advice to Beginners

To the youth hustling between lectures and side hustles, to the fresh graduates thinking their lack of capital means they can’t begin, Karema believes that starting small and being consistent is the cheat code.

“The only advice is, start small, start early, and be consistent. There is something I believe in, which is, consistency beats talent. Be honest also because customers will trust you more,” he said, adding, "For those who are employed, start a side hustle. There are so many things you can do, like keeping a goat in the village.”