7 Kenyan Women Leading The Tech Industry
Kenya is home to some of the tech industry’s most innovative and dynamic women. We see LEADERSHIP and EXPERTISE through the lens of these 7 PHENOMENAL Kenya Women who continue to INSPIRE the next generation of African women techies.
Charity Wanjiku
She is the Senior Project Manager of East Africa, at Africa Data Centres. She is also the co-founder of Strauss Energy Ltd, an award-winning energy enterprise that seeks to alleviate energy poverty in Kenya and Africa at large; and a director at Trioscape Space Planning Ltd, an architectural firm that seeks to offer quality-built environment spaces while leveraging on technology. Aside from being an award-winning project manager and architect, with over a decade of experience in leading multicultural teams and projects in mission-critical infrastructure, sustainable building, construction, urban development, and energy industries in Kenya that amounted to over USD 100 million, she is also an advocate for girls’ education, gender equality, women’s empowerment, and women’s leadership.
Through her role as Senior Project Manager at Africa Data Centres, she delivers Tier III standards purpose-built facilities that are carrier-neutral and resilient. She also ensures its design, structure, and functionality to the highest standards to improve businesses across Africa.
Juliana Rotich
She sits as the AI Ethics Board Member of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. As an internationally acclaimed techpreneur & fintech leader, she continues to forge several powerful partnerships to accomplish transformational projectsq and provide opportunities for innovators in East Africa. Among her several speaking engagements to promote the tech industry are several globally acclaimed awards and recognitions like the Young Global Leader, by World Economic Forum (WEF) in 2016 and was listed by Forbes Africa Over 30 under 50 ‘Trailblazers leading Change 2024’. She also heads the fintech solutions department at Safaricom PLC and sits as an advisory board member of several tech organizations.
As a member of the AI Ethics Board at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, she ensures that the Gates Foundation’s AI initiatives align with ethical principles, promote equity, and prioritize the well-being of the communities and individuals served.
Phyllis Migwi
She serves as the Country General Manager for Microsoft in Kenya. Under her leadership, Microsoft has launched various initiatives aimed at boosting digital skills and innovation. Phyllis is dedicated to driving digital transformation in Kenya, focusing on empowering individuals and businesses through technology. With an outstanding track record as a leader and business catalyst, known for driving growth in technology over the past two decades she has consistently delivered excellent results in strategy and operations leadership, brand development, marketing, and program management. Before her role, she served as the Regional Hybrid Cloud & AI Leader for the Africa Growth Market at IBM. She has also held leadership roles in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods and Information Communication Technology sectors across India, Europe, Africa, and North America. In her role as country general manager for Microsoft, she continues to promote artificial intelligence, and other advanced technologies globally.
Agnes Gathaiya
Agnes Gathaiya holds the position of Country Director for East Africa at Google. In this role, she is responsible for driving growth and expanding Google’s digital footprint across the African continent. With over two decades of experience in the technology industry, she is a renowned thought leader and advocates for diversity and inclusion, particularly in STEM education and entrepreneurship.
Agnes is also a strong supporter of initiatives that empower women and girls in tech and has played a vital role in advancing Google’s Women Will program in Africa. She is widely regarded as a trailblazing leader in the African tech community and has been recognized for her contributions to the industry with numerous awards and accolades.
She has spearheaded projects that provide digital skills training to young people and entrepreneurs, helping them leverage technology for economic growth. Her efforts have significantly contributed to the digital empowerment of communities in East Africa.
Rose Muturi
Rose Muturi is the Managing Director for East Africa at Branch International, a leading fintech company. Rose’s work focuses on providing financial services to underserved populations through mobile technology. She has been pivotal in expanding Branch International’s reach, enabling more people to access loans and other financial products. Rose’s leadership has helped bridge the financial inclusion gap, promoting economic development and stability in the region.
Betty Mwangi
Betty Mwangi is the Founder and CEO of Digital Den Consultancy Ltd, a company that specializes in digital transformation services. With extensive experience as an engineer, fintech strategist, and innovation lead which extends to telecommunications, insurance, pharmaceutical, and education industries, she has been at the forefront of helping businesses adopt digital solutions.
She has worked in 26 African countries and was recognized as one of the Top 10 most influential women in the mobile telecommunication industry by MCI (Mobile Communications International) and named twice as one of the Top 20 most powerful women in Africa. Betty’s vision is to see more African businesses thrive in the digital economy. Her consultancy offers expertise in areas such as digital marketing, e-commerce, and IT infrastructure.
Kendi Ntwiga Nderitu
Kendi Ntwiga Nderitu is a prominent figure in the tech world, co-founding Prosper PATH and serving as a Global leader of Actor Solutions at Meta (formerly Facebook). In her role at Meta, Kendi heads a team in global operations, focusing on enforcing standards and operational protocols that impact the community. She is involved in cross-functional engineering and product development within Meta Global, working to upscale products to the launch stage.
Kendi’s past work experience includes serving as the General Manager for the East, West, and Central Africa Cluster at Check Point Software Technologies and holding leadership roles at HP, Oracle, and Intel. She is also a champion of community services, having been recognized as an Emerging Leader in Innovation and Entrepreneurship by the US government through the TechWomen program.
Additionally, Kendi is the founder of She-Goes-Tech, an initiative that mentors young girls and women to pursue STEM courses and remain in STEM careers. In 2019, she was named one of Kenya’s Top 40 Under 40 women leaders.
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