Swahili Village, a fine dining restaurant giving a real African culinary experience, was founded out of love by Kevin Onyona.
In 1999, Onyona embarked on a journey to the US in order to bridge the gap left by his girlfriend’s departure. His girlfriend had left for the US to advance her education.
“I went to the US chasing for love. I went to visit this young lady who I was dating, and she had left a void when she left to go to school. I went to see her, and the rest is history, as she is now the mother of my four children,” he told Capital FM in an interview.
In the US he landed a job opportunity as a sales executive at Home Depot in the United States.
However, he did not find any nice spots serving African foods. That gave him the drive to venture into that field.
Following his newly found passion and business opportunity, Onyona decided to quit from his sales job.
“I quit the job to open a restaurant with a decent restroom. The few African restaurants in Maryland didn’t fit in the fine dining space. I found a problem in the community, the African community, who were struggling to find a good space to dine with their families and enjoy the foods they were familiar with,” he stated.
The restaurant received a warm reception setting him on the path to success in the food business.
In 2016, Swahili Village was born, with its first eatery located in Beltsville, Maryland, a town known for agricultural research and innovations.
As the CEO, Onyona made bold decisions that led the expansion of this culinary venture, with additional locations in Washington DC, and New Jersey.
The restaurant offers unique African delicacies, such as Nyama Choma, Ugali, and Kachumbari, a Kenyan favorite.
Swahili Village also features dishes like Ndengu (Greengrams), chapati, pilau, mbuzi choma, chicken curry, fish curry, tilapia curry, African tea, and Tusker, a popular Kenyan beer.
Despite legal challenges in the US, Onyona remained steadfast in his entrepreneurial spirit.
On Sunday, September 17, Swahili village hosted President William Ruto and other dignitaries in the US.
“Visited Swahili Village in New Jersey, United States, an enterprise run by a Kenyan businessman Kevin Onyona,” Ruto wrote.
