Why Many Family Businesses In Cameroon Do Not Survive Their Founders (Part 8)

The Case Of Kilo & Bros Company, Bamenda, Whose Founder Was A Cooperative Inspector – Turned- Businessman, Sylvester K. KILO

The Wealthy Businessman, S.K.  KILO, Who Was As Well A Member Of The Economic And Social Council, Wisely Diversified His Business, But Unfortunately The Family Business Did Not Survive Him

How Business Magnate, S.K KILO, Made The Mistake To Venture Into Politics To Become An MP, And How Bitter Politics Damaged His Image, And Probably Ruined His Life

Sylvester K. KILO, who was of the famous Nso tribe in the then Northwest Province, was a Cooperative Inspector. In those days the Northwest Province was a big coffee producer. There was the National Produce Marketing Board, and coffee farmers were not poor people. There was money in coffee, and a Cooperative Inspector was a ‘big man’ in the society. In those days, serious coffee farmers in the Northwest Province could afford, without stress, to send their children to renowned mission schools.

Also, the business of buying and selling produce, precisely coffee in the Northwest Province, and coffee and cocoa in the Southwest Province, was a lucrative business. Produce buying agents who had some good capital like the Kumba based Chief Fomenky, were wealthy people in the society. S.K. Kilo as he was popularly known, later decided to leave his job as Cooperative Inspector, and get into business, precisely as a produce buying agent like Chief Fomenky. Of course as a Cooperative Inspector by training, the Bamenda based business man, S.K. Kilo, had a good knowledge of the coffee sector, and thus was making much money in the coffee business. He at one point decided to diversity his business, which was a bright idea. He created the Kilo & Bros Company, and also went into the business of contracts, precisely building construction. The headquarters of the Kilo & Bros Company was located opposite the present Guarantee Bus Agency in Bamenda,

S.K. Kilo also got a license for Kilo & Bros Company to become a licensed representative of Cami – Toyota Company in Cameroon. This was a big deal. So S.K Kilo also got into the car selling business in Cameroon. That is, the selling of brand new cars.  In those days, the second –hand car business had not yet gained ground in Cameroon.  S.K. Kilo also became a member of Cameroon’s Economic and Social Council. Kilo did not forget his home. He among other things built a college, the Kilo Comprehensive College, in his native Jakiri Sub –division in Bui Division of the Northwest Province. The school to him was more of a social project for his people, than a business.

 Kilo Did Not Groom Any Successor To Manage The Big Family Business    

S.K. Kilo succeeded to establish a big Family Business. But unfortunately, he committed the same error like other prominent business personalities of Northwest origin, who also created big Family Businesses like Daniel Nangah of Nangah Company and Daniel Che of Che & Sons Company. This was by not grooming any close family member as successor in the management of the Family Business. That is, somebody who would have taken over the management of the Family Business as a Manager, and not as the new proprietor, when he was no longer there.  Also, Kilo just like Nangah and Che, did not along the line bring in another shareholder or shareholders into his Family Business, which is another model of  Family Business, and which is a system that helps to sustain the business when the Founder is no longer there.

Thus Kilo, just like Nangah and Che while they lived, did not take appropriate measures to ensure the sustainability of his big Family Business when he would not be around. In other words, no concrete measure was taken to ensure that the big Family Business, that is, Kilo & Sons Company, survive the Founder, S.K. Kilo.

S.K Kilo’s Decision, To Run For Parliament

The prominent economic operator, S.K. Kilo, was rightly considered as an illustrious son of Bui Division and the Northwest Province. But when along the line he decided to get into politics by running for parliament, he was embarrassed with the change of tone against him by many in his native Bui Division.

There was another candidate in the constituency the year S.K Kilo declared his intention to run for Parliament. The candidate happened to have been a woman, Mrs Prudencia Chilah. She was powerful lady, and the husband was a DO.  Two strongly opposed political camps soon emerged, with one camp being for S.K Kilo and the other for Mrs Chilah. The campaign for the election between Mrs Chilah and S.K. Kilo was marred by a lot of bitterness between the two camps, which made the members of the opposing camps looked more like foes than militants of the same party.

Suffice to say the biggest shock of the wealthy economic operator, S.K. Kilo, came when he was beaten in the election by Mrs Prudencia Chilah. Kilo could not believe what happened.  More so, beaten in the election by a woman!  That was a bombshell to S.K. Kilo. He felt humiliated, he felt betrayed. He was bitter and very disappointed. As for Mrs Prudencia Chilah, she triumphantly became an honourable member of parliament.

The Rancourous Situation

But the antagonism or rancour between the S.K Kilo and Hon Prudencia Chilah’s camps stayed on. In fact things instead further degenerated. When something bad happened to a member of Hon Prudencia Chilah’s camp, the camp of S.K. Kilo would be accused of being behind it, or to be precise, the camp would be accused of witchcraft. If something bad happened to somebody in the Kilo camp, the camp of Hon Chilah would be accused of witchcraft.

Along the line, something very bad happened to Hon Mrs Prudencia Chilah, as she got paralyzed on the leg. As expected, the S.K. Kilo camp was strongly accused by Hon Chilah’s camp to have allegedly uses witchcraft, to try to kill the lady.  Later, S.K. Kilo too fell sick, with serious problem with the legs. His camp as expected strongly accused the camp of Hon Mrs Chilah.  It was alleged that S. K. Kilo smashed poison that was placed on his way by Hon Chilah’s camp.

The Death Of S.K. Kilo

S.K. Kilo went to Britain to seek medical attention. It is not known what he was really sick of, but medical doctors that attended to him in hospital, reportedly told him that the only way to save his life at that point, was to amputate his legs. That was too much for S.K. Kilo to bear. He could not imagine himself leaving without his natural legs.  Suffice to say Kilo ended up refusing that his legs should not be cut off, and returned to Cameroon, apparently to wait for his death. And the death came. Too bad!  S.K. Kilo’s corpse was taken from Bamenda where he was based, to his village in Bui for burial. But let it be reiterated that The Mentor News does not know the real cause of S.K. Kilo’s death.

CAMI – Toyota Withdraws License

Meanwhile since S.K. Kilo did not groom any successor in the management of the big Family Business that he created, that is, Kilo & Bros Company, the Family Business could not survive him. CAMI –Toyota for example withdrew the license it gave to S.K. Kilo after his death, as the company saw that the Kilo &Bros Company that Kilo left behind, was not in a position to effectively continue the business. Suffice to say that Kilo & Bros Company, just like the Nangah Company or the Che & Sons Company, did not survive the Founder.