Imagine going to school barefoot in a small rural village, joining the military to study telecommunications, inventing a groundbreaking technology — and then refusing to sell it to your government. That one decision forces you to flee your country, live homeless abroad, and later rise to dine with American presidents and build one of Africa’s most ambitious smart cities.

That is the extraordinary story of Julius Mwale, the Kenyan-born billionaire entrepreneur, investor, and visionary behind the Mwale Medical and Technology City (MMTC) in Kakamega County.

Born in Lunza village, Butere, to the family of Major Abel Mwale, a former military officer, Julius’s early life was one of simplicity and hardship. Growing up in western Kenya, he attended Mukumu Boys High School, before pursuing a diploma in Telecommunications Engineering. His brilliance and discipline earned him a place in the Kenya Air Force, where he worked in technology research and internet infrastructure. It was here that Mwale developed an innovation that caught the attention of government officials — but when he declined to sell it, tensions arose that would alter the course of his life forever.

In 2000, fearing persecution, Mwale fled Kenya, first seeking refuge in Uganda and Zimbabwe, before finally settling in the United States. Life in America was not glamorous at first — he was homeless for a year, living in shelters while dreaming of building a global tech empire. Undeterred, he enrolled at Columbia University to study electrical engineering, where his ideas began to take shape.

In New York, Mwale founded SBA Technologies Inc., a firm specializing in biometric authentication and digital security systems. Despite early setbacks — including the theft of his laptop containing crucial data — he pressed on. SBA Technologies developed a wave-based biometric security system that later gained traction among major U.S. banks such as Bank of New York, JP Morgan, and Bank of America. When the U.S. Congress passed a law in 2004 requiring two-factor authentication, Mwale’s technology suddenly became indispensable. His company grew rapidly, employing over 60 people globally and generating millions of dollars in revenue.

With financial success came a vision to transform his home continent. In the early 2010s, Mwale announced plans for the Mwale Medical and Technology City (MMTC) — a Ksh 258 billion ($2 billion) futuristic metropolis in Butere, Kakamega County, built around a 5,000-bed hospital. Covering 25,000 acres, the city includes housing estates, a shopping mall, an airport, renewable energy plants, and research facilities. Mwale’s goal was not just urban development but a self-sustaining ecosystem that integrates healthcare, education, clean energy, and technology.

Through his investment firm Tumaz and Tumaz Enterprises, Mwale also placed the highest bid — Ksh 27.6 billion — to lease the debt-ridden Mumias Sugar Company, signaling his ambition to revive Kenya’s agricultural economy. Beyond Kenya, he has pursued smart city partnerships in Zambia, Senegal, Ghana, Botswana, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, aligning with Africa’s green energy transition. His consortium even pledged $2.4 billion for Zambia’s clean energy and electric vehicle battery projects.

Globally recognized, Mwale has been featured by Forbes, and in 2025, he received the Africa Prosperity Champions Award in Ghana for his investment in social infrastructure. Yet, his story has not been without controversy — lawsuits in New York over rent and investor disputes, questions about the scale of his projects, and scrutiny over his early patents. Still, many of these cases were dismissed, with Mwale’s team labeling them “frivolous and malicious.”

Today, Julius Mwale stands as one of Africa’s most intriguing billionaires — a man who embodies both bold vision and controversy. From sleeping on the streets of New York to building a city worth billions, his story is a blend of genius, persistence, and belief in Africa’s potential. Whether admired or doubted, Mwale has proven one truth: your beginnings don’t define your destiny — your decisions do.