Pure Digital Passion with Moses Kemibaro

Three businesses, one Kenyan consumer, three very different answers. Willy Kimani left Naivas to build Jaza Supermarket, a neighborhood affordable supermarket chain that sells on WhatsApp. Anne Kinuthia-Otieno built Airtel Money Kenya and now runs Visa across East Africa. Jacques Theunissen turned KFC's regional franchise from 30 loss-making restaurants into more than 70. I moderated their discussion panel during Glovo Kenya's Future of Commerce Summit yesterday and asked what it takes to be built to win. Recorded live at the Radisson Blu, Upper Hill, Nairobi on 23rd October 2026, this episode of the Pure Digital Passion Podcast is the full opening panel of the summit. In it: why a KES 5,000 phone has no room for another app and what that means for every retailer in Kenya; why KFC's self-service digital kiosks lift the average basket by 10 to 30 per cent and are as popular in Kakamega as in Westlands; what tokenization is, explained with a casino chip; how a weekly digital payment turns a cash business into…

Not every episode of the Pure Digital Passion Podcast is recorded in a studio. This one was recorded a few weeks ago on a phone, audio only, at a restaurant table in Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya with Klaas Glenewinkel, Managing Director of MiCT (Media in Cooperation and Transition) in Berlin and Director of the East Africa Radio Service (EARS) in Kampala, Uganda. Seven years ago Klaas decided that aid money was not the answer to keeping Africa's local radio stations alive, revenue was. EARS now bundles small and rural stations across Uganda into audience packages that advertisers can buy on one package instead of 150, and Klaas says it shared almost USD 2 million in advertising revenue with those stations last year. His argument is simple: in the ratings, the stations filed under "others" would be the market leader if they were one station. Now EARS is going digital with a lightweight audio app that aggregates radio stations, podcasts and audiobooks, streams at as little as 8 kilobits per second, lets listeners…

Just over a year after launching This Is Digital, co-founders Grace Murugi and Greg Wanjama have trained more than 800 professionals, served more than 40 organisations, and reached a milestone that could significantly expand their impact: becoming Meta's AI training partner in Kenya.This episode of the Pure Digital Passion podcast was recorded in a wonderfully impromptu manner immediately after I attended a practical Claude workshop delivered by This Is Digital in collaboration with Isaac Hunja of KaaraWorks. I went into the session thinking of myself as a fairly experienced AI user. I left with a clear appreciation of how much more work is required to move from basic prompting to properly designed agentic workflows.That made the timing of this conversation particularly appropriate. I had delivered the keynote address at the launch of This Is Digital in July 2025, where I traced the past, present, and future of Kenya's digital transformation. A little over a year later, Grace and Greg joined me to discuss…

Airtel Money Kenya is entering a new chapter under Acting Managing Director Michael Bonke.In this episode of the Pure Digital Passion Podcast, I sat down with Michael shortly after Airtel Money launched its Bizna Wallet for small businesses and enhanced its cashback proposition from airtime rewards to actual cash a couple of weeks ago. We explore how Airtel Money has grown from a relatively small challenger to a platform that now says it serves more than six million customers, has approximately 270,000 agents, supports more than two million merchant points and holds around 11% of Kenya’s mobile-money market.But perhaps its largest immediate growth opportunity already exists within Airtel itself.Michael estimates that around 14 million active Airtel connectivity customers are not yet using Airtel Money—and converting more of them is one of his most important priorities.We discuss:✅ Michael Bonke’s appointment and immediate priorities✅ How Airtel Money moved from roughly 2% to 11% market share✅ Why…

I met Jason Corder last week to discuss NorthSouth Media, and our meeting became what I like to call a “gangster podcast”: an informal, impromptu Pure Digital Passion conversation recorded without the usual studio production. Jason is the founder and CEO of NorthSouth Media, a Nairobi-based company building an end-to-end system for financing, producing, owning, localizing and distributing African content. We discuss his journey from San Francisco to Africa, his work as a visual artist and performer, his experience acting in Mali, and how a trailer filmed in his Kilimani apartment became Stay, a television series backed by Nokia and subsequently distributed across multiple markets. Jason explains why that experience convinced him that African production companies must retain intellectual-property ownership. We also examine NorthSouth’s connected film and creator studios, direct-distribution strategy, localization relationship with Aview International and ambition to build a substantial library of owned…

Airtel Kenya is entering a new chapter under Managing Director Djibril Tobe. In this special episode of the Pure Digital Passion Podcast, I sit down with Djibril shortly after Airtel Money launched Bizna Wallet and the “Si Ni Mi Nakushow” 50% cashback campaign earlier this week. The conversation moves beyond the product announcements to examine Airtel Kenya’s wider growth strategy across mobile money, customer experience, digital self-service, broadband, satellite connectivity and data-centre infrastructure. Djibril reflects on his first month in Kenya after more than two decades building businesses across African markets. He explains why he is giving himself time to listen and learn, what has impressed him about Kenya’s technology-driven economy and what customers are demanding from Airtel. We discuss the strong momentum he inherits: Airtel Kenya’s expansion from 16 million to more than 24 million customers, over 2,000 additional network sites and Airtel Money’s growth from roughly 2% to 11% market share. A…

This video captures the full "Connected to Protect" discussion panel on how health insurance can become more accessible, relevant and useful within the everyday lives of Kenyan and East African consumers. I moderated the panel during the launch of the strategic partnership between Jubilee Health Insurance and global insurtech bolttech last week. While the partnership provided the setting, the conversation went much wider: healthcare costs, fraud and extra billing, product relevance, customer segmentation, flexible payments, trusted distribution, asset financing, consumer education and claims. The panel brought together four distinct perspectives: Njeri Jomo - CEO and Principal Officer, Jubilee Health Insurance Bente Krogmann Osore - General Manager, Africa, bolttech Bryan Nyutu - Principal Officer and Insurance Portfolio Lead, Safaricom PLC Ken Gitonga - Group Head of Technical Product, Watu Credit Moderator: Moses Kemibaro Key areas discussed: Why reducing healthcare fraud, waste, abuse and unnecessary…

In this episode of NTV Kenya's Fixing The Nation, I joined Mariam Bishar, Eric Latiff and Fellaris Wambui to unpack Kenya’s growing debate around minimum fares for ride hailing. The discussion was focussed on the Business Daily's headline on Uber and Bolt drivers potentially getting more power in how fares are set, as well as broader proposed reforms that could bring ride-hailing platforms under greater regulatory scrutiny. We discussed what this means for drivers, passengers, platforms, businesses, regulators, competition policy, and Kenya’s wider gig economy. At the heart of the conversation was one question: How does Kenya improve driver earnings without pricing passengers out of digital mobility or weakening the ecosystem that makes ride-hailing possible? Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction: Business Daily headline and the digital taxi fare debate 01:20 – Moses Kemibaro joins Fixing The Nation 02:30 – How ride-hailing platforms work and why the issue matters 03:32 – From traditional taxis to digital…

WhatsApp is preparing to introduce usernames that will allow people to communicate without publicly sharing their phone numbers. The feature could deliver a meaningful privacy improvement, particularly in group conversations, business interactions and chats with people who have only recently met. However, it has also raised questions about impersonation, phishing, financial fraud, mobile-money security and whether accounts involved in criminal activity will remain traceable. On the 15th July 2026, I joined Nkechi Onyinyechi Ogbonna on BBC World Service’s Focus on Africa to discuss WhatsApp’s forthcoming username feature. The programme also featured Somalia’s State Minister of Communications and Technology, Hon. Ahmed Osman Diiriye, who explained why his government wants Meta to provide stronger assurances around fraud, mobile-money security and digital traceability. The discussion examines why Somalia wants Meta to demonstrate “proof of traceability,” the concerns India has raised and the protections…

Africa’s scam economy is becoming more organised, automated and sophisticated. What was once the occasional fraudulent SMS has evolved into smishing, vishing, identity theft, business impersonation, SIM-swap-enabled account takeovers, AI-generated identity documents and deepfake voice calls. I moderated a discussion recorded at the TARS 2026 Telecom Africa Revenue Assurance & Fraud Management Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, on the 13th May 2026 titled: Protecting the Customer: Scam Typologies, Operator Responsibilities & Fraud Awareness in Africa The panel brought together: Ann Khambo - Revenue Assurance and Fraud Management Manager, Airtel Money, Airtel Kenya Ogochukwu (Ogo) Onwuzurike - Country Manager, Nigeria, Truecaller Mieraf T. Birhane - Executive Head of Fraud Management, Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia The discussion examines how customer-facing fraud is changing across African telecom and mobile-money markets, why social engineering remains such an effective attack vector, and why operators can no…

Kenyan and African retailers generate enormous volumes of information through point-of-sale systems, inventory platforms, loyalty programmes, e-commerce, mobile applications, social commerce, delivery platforms and digital payments. However, much of that data remains fragmented, underused and disconnected from everyday business decisions. In this special episode of the Pure Digital Passion Podcast, I moderate a discussion from the RETRAK Retail Summit 2026 titled: Smarter Retail: Turning Data, AI and Insights into Competitive Advantage The session took place on Thursday, 14 May 2026, at the Sarit Expo Centre in Nairobi and brought together four experts representing retail entrepreneurship, digital payments, financial-services platforms and retail technology, as follows: Judy Waruiru - Regional Managing Director, Network International Sonal Haria - Co-Founder and CEO, Canvas Cosmetics, Co-Founder, CB Consulting & Media Group Eric Muriuki - Group Director, Digital Business, CEO, LOOP DFS, NCBA Group Siddesh…

What does a truly future-ready African lender look like? Is it enough to launch a mobile application, automate loan approvals or introduce artificial intelligence into the credit-scoring process? Or does meaningful digital transformation require lenders to rethink the entire customer journey—from acquisition, onboarding and identity verification through credit decisioning, disbursement, repayment and collections? In this panel discussion I moderated a practical and thought-provoking conversation on the future of lending in Kenya and Africa. The discussion was recorded during The Future of Lending: Loan Origination, E-Sign & AI, held on the 29th of May 2026 at Park Inn by Radisson in Westlands, Nairobi. The event was co-hosted by Presta Technologies, Zoho and the Digital Financial Services Association of Kenya. Panelists Kris Senanu: Executive Chairman, Smith & Berkeley LLC Kevin Mutiso: CEO, OYE and Chairman, Digital Financial Services Association of Kenya (DFSAK) Winnie Chira: Founder and CEO, Identify…

What happens to the humans when the machines can increasingly do the work? Recorded live at the Ikigai Industry Nights event in Nairobi on the 2nd July 2026, this special episode of the Pure Digital Passion Podcast brings you the complete CTRL + ALT + HUMAN panel — as moderated by me (Moses Kemibaro), with Shikoli Makatiani (co-founder & CTO, Akili AI), Victor Ambuyo (Head of Growth, Madavi) and Marvin Oyoo (Management Systems Consultant, Panoramic Synergy) as my panelists. From Shikoli’s 10/90 rule and the loan-intake process that was 90% broken, to Victor’s anatomy of the failed rollout (‘a people problem wearing a technology costume’) and the fluency answer to the jobs question, to Marvin’s reality gap, ‘that’s not a strategy — that’s a subscription’, human–AI synergy and a council of AIs checking each other — plus lamplighters, coexistence, tea-buying drones, ATM forensics and a physics exam passed with an AI tutor. This is practical AI, Kenyan edition: no hype, real examples, honest answers. Recorded…

The final part of my three-part conversation with Tito Alai begins with one of the most important and least widely understood stories in African technology: the origins of Celpay. According to Tito’s first-hand account, Celtel’s mobile-money journey began with market research in Zambia. The company noticed that airtime purchased in one city was often activated in another. People were already finding ways to support relatives, employees and business partners remotely. Me2U made it possible to transfer airtime directly from one user to another. The next insight was even more significant. Recipients were sometimes exchanging that airtime for cash or goods. In a hyperinflationary environment with limited access to conventional banking and card infrastructure, airtime had become a proxy for money. Tito explains how Celtel attempted to formalise that behaviour through Celpay and why the company eventually sold the business to focus resources on the rapid expansion of its core telecommunications network. The…

Part 1 of my conversation with Tito Alai ended just as he was leaving Unilever and joining Africa Online. Part 2 begins at that exact inflection point. After almost a decade in one of the world’s most sophisticated consumer-goods organizations, Tito deliberately moved into a young African internet business because he wanted a genuinely new learning curve. Africa Online was scaling across several markets at a time when the internet itself was still unfamiliar to most consumers and organisations on the continent. Tito explains what it meant to take the consumer understanding, organizational discipline and brand-management principles he had learned at Unilever and apply them inside a startup environment. The conversation has special personal resonance for me because Africa Online is also where I began my career. We revisit the company’s “My World, My Provider” era, the need to create consistency across countries and the importance of presenting one coherent narrative to customers, employees and investors. Tito…

I had initially planned to record one Pure Digital Passion Podcast conversation with Tito Alai. We ended up recording three. By the end of this first session, we had only managed to cover Tito’s early life, education, rise through East African Industries—now Unilever—and his move to London for international strategic responsibilities. We had not yet reached Africa Online, Kodak, Celtel, Celpay, One Network, Zain, Mimi Africa, Afreximbank or his current work around African digital identities. That is the scale of Tito’s story. In Part 1, we begin in Kirinyaga, where Tito was born while his father, then a District Commissioner, was away responding to a rogue-elephant incident. We move to his childhood on a farm in Muhoroni, boarding school from the age of six and his years at Lenana School, where he embraced academics, sport, leadership and extracurricular life. Tito explains why he chose humanities despite excelling in mathematics and the sciences, how the death of his father changed the period immediately…

In this follow-up episode of the Pure Digital Passion Podcast, I sit down again with Simon Bransfield-Garth, Founder & CEO of Akili AI, this time joined by Shikoli Makatiani, CTO and technical lead at Akili AI. Our first conversation with Simon explored his remarkable journey from working on artificial neural networks at Cambridge in the mid-1980s, to Symbian, mobile security, off-grid solar in Africa, and eventually the founding of Akili AI. This second conversation moves from vision to deployment. We discuss what it really takes to put AI to work inside Kenyan financial services organizations, including banks, cooperatives, microfinance institutions, customer service teams, and regulated business workflows. This is a deeply practical conversation about shadow AI, agentic systems, AI governance, AI readiness, AI risk registers, pain owners, MVP-first deployment, staff training, and why Kenyan and African organizations need to focus less on AI hype and more on measurable business outcomes. Key themes…

In this episode of the Pure Digital Passion Podcast, I had an in-depth conversation with Farayi Ziswa, Founder & Executive Director of BTL Consulting Ltd, Co-Founder of Mapepa Karatasi, Founder & Executive Coach at Inheritege Coaches, and author of Selling to Informal Markets. This is a deep and practical conversation about how African commerce actually works on the ground. Farayi shares his journey from growing up around a family farm in Zimbabwe, studying business and finance at the University of Hull, joining Unilever’s UK International Management Trainee programme, and becoming National Sales Manager for Unilever South-East Africa, to later working across African Sun Hotels, SPAR Zimbabwe, SIT Distribution in Dubai and the GCC, BTL Consulting, Copia Global, Farm Shop, Mapepa Karatasi, and Inheritege Coaches. The conversation explores why Africa’s informal markets are so often misunderstood, why sales and route-to-market execution deserve more respect, and how mobile technology, field intelligence, data,…

In this conversation recorded during the Rotary Zone 22 Regional Team Learning Seminar in Diani, Kenya, a few weeks ago, I sat down with Rotary International President-Elect Olayinka Hakeem Babalola for a deep and timely discussion about Rotary, leadership, emotional reconnection, impact, and Africa’s role in the organization’s future. For those who may not know Rotary closely, Rotary International is a global network of community leaders and professionals who volunteer their skills and resources to solve social issues. With about 1.2 million members in more than 45,000 clubs across over 200 countries, Rotary and its charitable arm, The Rotary Foundation, have invested billions of dollars into sustainable, community-driven humanitarian projects. Founded in Chicago in 1905 by Paul Harris, Rotary’s mission is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, promote high ethical standards, and advance goodwill and peace around the world. In our conversation, Yinka shares how…

In this recent episode of the Pure Digital Passion Podcast, I sat down with Sven De Cauter, CEO of Teleperformance (TP) Kenya and Nigeria, for a revealing conversation about the growth of one of Kenya’s most remarkable digital business services operations. From 60 employees in 2020 to over 2,500 today, TP Kenya has become a significant case study in what is possible when global scale meets local talent, operational discipline, and long-term ambition.Sven shares his journey from Belgium to the UK, Tanzania, Barcelona, and eventually Nairobi, where he came in to help build a business that now serves clients across 170 markets and 21 languages. We discuss why Kenya was chosen, what he learned from TP’s Barcelona multilingual hub, why Mombasa became part of the company’s footprint, and how AI is reshaping the future of customer service and BPO.This conversation goes beyond headcount and office locations. We also talk about impact sourcing, youth employment, infrastructure, GDPR adequacy, the EU-Kenya Digital…

In this episode of the Pure Digital Passion Podcast, I sat down with Denis Bundi, a Kenyan-born AI-Native business builder, engineer, and founder of Agentyc, DBX Engine, and ClawFolks, to unpack an extraordinary journey from Nairobi to Houston, Rice University, Texas Instruments, Google, Microsoft, and finally back home to Kenya. We talk about the evolution of computing, the rise of agentic AI, why infrastructure matters more than hype, and what Kenya and Africa must do to avoid being left behind in the next era of technology.Denis also shares practical lessons from building at the frontier of AI, from working on enterprise systems and cloud partnerships to now helping teams deploy AI agents that can check inboxes, calendars, CRMs, and Slack, and take action on behalf of users. This is a conversation about systems thinking, engineering quality, entrepreneurship, and the urgent need for Africa to build, not just consume, the future of AI.Chapters0:00 Intro and why this conversation matters2:37 Denis Bundi’s…

Kenyans have always loved real estate – from shambas and plots to townhouses and apartments. But the classic model is capital‑intensive, illiquid, and almost always shilling‑denominated. In this episode of the Pure Digital Passion Podcast, we unpack a very different way to own prime Nairobi commercial real estate and earn in US dollars. The TRIFIC Green USD I‑REIT is an income‑generating Real Estate Investment Trust anchored by the TRIFIC North Tower – an EDGE‑certified Grade A office building located inside a private Special Economic Zone within the wider Two Rivers ecosystem. It is authorized by the Capital Markets Authority as an Income REIT, targeting an 8% annual net yield in USD, paid twice a year, with a minimum entry of just USD 1,000. The unrestricted offer is open to both institutional and retail investors – including the Kenyan Diaspora and chamas – and closes on 12th June 2026. To unpack what this actually means, I’m was joined by: Brenda Mbathi – CEO, TRIFIC SEZ (Two Rivers International Finance…

Simon Bransfield-Garth was writing his doctoral research on artificial neural networks at Cambridge in 1985 — forty years before most people had heard of AI. In this episode, he traces that journey through Myriad Solutions (a vector processor company that preceded the GPU era), Symbian (the smartphone OS that defined the pre-iPhone world), Cellcrypt (mobile voice security for governments worldwide), and Azuri Technologies (pay-as-you-go solar for 250,000+ households across nine African markets) — and explains how all of it led him to found Akili AI in 2024. We discuss: why 42% of Kenyan internet users use ChatGPT but most Kenyan boards think they have zero AI in their business; what Akili Snapshot reveals when you run it on a typical EastAfrican financial institution; how Akili AI took a loan processing workflow from two weeks to five minutes; and why Simon believes the biggest risk for Africa is not adopting AI too fast — it is adopting it too slowly. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 03:10 Simon's early career —…

In this episode of the Pure Digital Passion Podcast, I sit down with Yannick Lefang — Founder & CEO of Kasi Insight, Africa's leading decision intelligence company — for one of the most intellectually rich conversations I've had on this podcast. Yannick's path to founding Kasi is unlike almost any other founder story in the African technology biased ecosystem. Born in France, raised in Cameroon, trained as an electrical engineer at the University of Ottawa (cum laude), he spent over a decade in financial risk management at TD Bank in Toronto — before joining the International Finance Corporation to advise African banks on risk frameworks across East, Southern, and West Africa. That experience revealed a data gap no one had filled: Africa had no reliable, high-frequency, pan-continental consumer intelligence platform. So in 2017, he built one. Today, Kasi Insight tracks consumer sentiment, economic signals, brand performance, and retail dynamics across 21 African markets — conducting 120,000+ interviews…

81% of African PR professionals are using AI — but are they using it right? Mary Njoki breaks it down. In this episode of the Pure Digital Passion podcast, I sit down with Mary Njoki — Founder & CEO of Glass House PR — for a wide-ranging, hour-long conversation covering her founder journey, the story behind the 2026 State of PR in Africa Report, and what the findings really mean for the industry. Mary founded Glass House PR in 2012 at 23 years old, starting with a modem, a laptop, and a free website template. She finished high school at 16, discovered PR through volunteer work at a Nairobi youth community, and spent the first two years doing pro bono work before landing Facebook as a client in year three. Thirteen years later, Glass House PR is one of Africa's leading Pan-African communications agencies — and a couple of weeks ago released the 2026 State of PR in Africa Report, the most comprehensive and current examination of the African PR industry to date. We cover: The real story behind the 81.5% AI…

Kenya's gig economy drives over KES 100 billion in annual economic impact and supports 150,000+ jobs. Top Bolt drivers earn up to KES 400,000 monthly, with 53% citing ride-hailing as their primary income source and 98% reporting improved livelihoods. This 49-minute panel features Kenya's platform economy leaders—platform operators, policy experts, and ecosystem builders—breaking down the operational realities behind the numbers, Bolt's comprehensive safety investments, smart regulatory frameworks, inclusion challenges, and the projected growth to 300,000 gig workers by 2028. Panelists Moderator: Moses Kemibaro – Founder & CEO, Dotsavvy | Host, Pure Digital Passion Dimmy Kanyankole – Senior General Manager, East Africa, Bolt Kenneth Anye – Director of Public Policy, Africa & International Markets, Bolt Mbugua Njihia – Venture Builder & Solution Architect Key Discussion Highlights Earnings Reality: 1/ Average: KES 63,000/month across driver cohorts 2/ Top 20%: KES 180,000–300,000/month 3/ Highest single…

Dharmendra Jain (Founder & CEO) and Josiah Kimanzi (Client Service Director) reveal how Actnable AI is transforming market research across Africa—from emotional response analysis to qualitative automation. Given their 30+ years running operations for Kantar/TNS across India, Nigeria, Kenya and beyond, they're now building Nairobi-rooted AI tools that fix slow fieldwork, manual analysis, and generic global platforms.What you'll discover in this 50-minute deep dive:1/ How Neuro AI measured identical telecom ads triggering radically different emotions across African cities (Lagos rational, Kinshasa needed full rewrite)2/ Qual AI's "chat with data" magic—turning raw transcripts into instant themes, sentiments, and action recommendations3/ DIA platform unifying structured surveys + unstructured social/media for holistic consumer insights4/ Real client wins: massive data projects delivered under impossible deadlines5/ Why African research lags AI adoption (skills gaps, infrastructure) and how to fix it6/ Future…

In this episode of Pure Digital Passion, I sit down with Nikki Germany, CEO of Moringa, to explore how a girl from rural Australia — the Land of Oz — ended up leading one of Kenya's and Africa’s most impactful technology education institutions, and how Moringa is building tech talent not just for Kenya, but for the world. We talk about Nikki’s journey from Expedia and Google to Bridge International Academies and Copia, and how those experiences in scaling mission‑driven organizations prepared her to lead Moringa through rapid growth — to nearly 5,000 learners in a year. We dive into Moringa’s four learning verticals (software engineering, data, cybersecurity, AI), its industry‑led, hands‑on curriculum, the role of technical mentors, and why “durable skills” like critical thinking and collaboration matter as much as code. Nikki also breaks down Moringa’s AI Academy, the shift to flexible virtual and part‑time learning (70% of learners now fully online), accessibility through financing and scholarships, and…

Recorded live at Radisson Blu Nairobi – Hours before The Secure Horizon executive breakfast and the launch of Smartcomply's "AI & the Cyber Frontier" report with TechCabal on the 26th February 2026. Kenya recorded 4.5 billion cyber threat events (April-June 2025) and lost KSh 29.9 billion to cybercrime last year. As digital platforms become economic infrastructure (mobile money = 53% GDP), cyber risk is now a board-level crisis. I sat down with Gbemisola Osunrinde, CEO of Smartcomply – the African-built digital trust platform making Nairobi its East Africa hub. What we unpacked: Her origin story: From hardware engineering to building Africa's cybersecurity stack after living through manual compliance hell Smartcomply's ecosystem: SecureSE (GRC), SmartGuard (endpoint), Adhere (anti-fraud/AML), Oculus (dark web intel), Academy (talent pipeline) Why African-built matters: Global tools ignore mobile money scale, SIM-swap patterns, regulatory patchwork AI arms race: Attackers shifted from "breaking in" to…

I had a fantastic time joining Joan Anyango for the very first episode of her "Tech It From Me" podcast. We took a deep dive into what drives me from those early dial-up Internet days in 1997 to building Dotsavvy right out of my bedroom back in 2002, and now navigating the AI era that's changing everything as know it.Personal BrandingWhen Joan asked what sets me apart in this crowded industry, I pointed straight to personal branding through consistent content creation. I've been blogging for over 15 years, sharing insights on technology in Kenya and Africa. It's not about being the smartest—it's about showing up obsessively and authentically. People connect with the unvarnished truth. Think about those behind-the-scenes clips from podcasts—they often get more views than the final edit because folks crave that real connection. I tell everyone: everything is content. Even what feels trivial can open doors if it's genuine.AI's Role in Digital Marketing – Empowerment & DisruptionWe got into how AI is…

In this episode of the Pure Digital Passion podcast, I sat down with Alice Ndung’u, Head of Apple Marketing at Redington Kenya, and Jacob Kyalo, Apple Certified Trainer, to unpack everything you need to know about the Redington sticker — the black label found on Apple iPhone boxes across Kenya. We dove deep into what the sticker actually represents for consumers: a mark of authenticity, a 24-month warranty, 6-month accidental damage cover for the iPhone, and a verification system that’s fast and reliable. Whether you’re buying an iPhone, a MacBook, or an iPad, the Redington sticker makes a real difference in terms of long-term value and peace of mind. Expect insights on: ✅ How to verify a Redington-authorized device ✅ Coverage for cracked screens and liquid spills ✅ Transferability of warranties when gifting or reselling ✅ Consumer trust and after-sales support in Kenya 00:00 – Intro and Apple loyalty journey 01:28 – Introduction of guests from Redington 03:12 – What the Redington sticker means 05:40 –…

I was recently a guest on the Casually Human podcast with Martin Kigondu for an in-depth and candid conversation covering my 25+ year journey in technology, digital marketing, entrepreneurship, personal branding, and the rise of Artificial Intelligence in Kenya and Africa. Hosted in the intimate upstairs space at Sugar Bowl — the creative home built by Betty Musyoki, who worked at Dotsavvy nearly two decades ago — this conversation felt both nostalgic and transformational. It brought together personal history, professional evolution, and the larger digital story of Kenya. We explored everything from my early years in Mombasa, coding on a Sinclair ZX Spectrum, to navigating the early Internet boom in Nairobi, founding Dotsavvy, reinventing the business through multiple digital shifts, and now embracing the age of AI. This conversation also includes a serendipitous post-recording moment with Kevin “Wyre” Waire, who joined the podcast right after me — revealing his surprising world as a technology entrepreneur…

In this episode of the Pure Digital Passion podcast, I was joined by Fethi Amara, Senior Executive at Planet Group International (PGI), for a deep and inspiring conversation on the invisible but powerful engine behind Africa’s digital transformation: Enterprise Content Management (ECM) and Business Process Management (BPM), now enhanced with AI.Fethi shared over 30 years of experience, from Arabizing foundational computing systems in the 90s to leading cutting-edge AI integrations at PGI across telecoms, banking, energy, and government in Africa and beyond. Together, we unpacked the challenges of managing enterprise data, building user-centric digital solutions, and the maturity gaps many organizations must bridge.From design thinking to agentic AI, legacy-free leapfrogging to digital chaos, this episode is an essential listen for any digital transformation leader operating in or focused on Africa:00:00 – Intro: Digital chaos & ECM’s role in Africa02:00 – Fethi Amara’s career journey & Arabizing tech in the…

In this episode of the Pure Digital Passion Podcast, I sit down with Steve Kahugu, the Chief Technology Officer at CarDuka, to unpack how one of Kenya’s fastest-growing digital car marketplaces is solving the country’s long-standing trust deficit in car buying and selling.CarDuka has grown from an online valuation platform in 2017 to a 2.5 million–user marketplace built around verification, safety, data-driven decision making, instant financing, and AI-powered insights. Steve gives a candid, deeply technical look into how the platform works, why trust remains the industry’s biggest pain point, and how CarDuka plans to scale toward 4 million users by December.We explore CarDuka’s dealer microsites, private seller tools, the new trading feature, powerful NCBA financing integrations, and their long-term vision of becoming the most trusted marketplace for cars across Africa.If you’ve ever bought or sold a car in Kenya, this conversation offers clarity, context, and a glimpse into the industry’s future:00:00 –…

At the ALN ATLAS 2025 – Africa Law & Tech Symposium on the 12th November 2025, I had the privilege of moderating a panel discussion exploring one of the most important conversations of our time: How Africa can build a digital legal infrastructure that is trusted, inclusive, secure, and ready for the future. In this session, I was joined by three leaders who sit at the heart of Africa’s evolving digital economy — Phyllis Migwi of Microsoft Kenya, David Bunei of Oracle Kenya, and Dr. Shikoh Gitau of Qhala. Together, we unpacked the essential building blocks needed to turn Africa’s digital policy aspirations into real-world systems that can support the continent’s social and economic ambitions. The conversation began with a deep dive into the tension between innovation and compliance, with Phyllis offering a rare inside look at how Microsoft operationalizes responsible AI, navigates the Kenya Data Protection Act, and works to build trust through transparent governance practices. She emphasized that AI adoption…

In this episode of the Pure Digital Passion podcast, I sit down with Anuj Tanna, Co-Founder and CEO of MESH, for a deep dive into the platform that is fuelling Kenya's vibrant hustle economy. Anuj shares the foundational insights from his time at Telkom Kenya that led him to see the informal economy not as a problem to be fixed, but as a powerful engine to be supported. We discuss the specific product mechanics, business model, and future vision for the platform serving over 1 million young entrepreneurs. This is a must watch or listen for anyone in technology, finance, and social impact in Kenya and Africa.In this episode, we discuss:(02:45) The key lessons from Telkom Kenya that became the seed for MESH.(10:30) Why "identity" is the biggest lever for income growth, not the biggest barrier.(15:32) How MESH's UI/UX is architected to shift a user's identity from "unemployed" to "entrepreneur."(21:12) The "Jungle Gym" model: Why peer-to-peer learning from someone "two steps ahead" beats formal courses.(26:19)…

Tired of shocking data roaming bills after your travels? The eSIM revolution is here to put an end to that. In this episode of the Pure Digital Passion podcast, I sit down with Mandeep Birdi, CEO of RoamBuddy, and Peter Lubia, CEO of Flexicom Enterprises, to unpack how eSIM technology is making global connectivity affordable and seamless for travelers from Kenya and across Africa.We dive deep into their groundbreaking partnership and the landmark deal with Kenya Airways to launch the KQ Safari Data plan. This is a conversation about the end of the physical SIM card and the future of mobile connectivity.In this episode, we cover:(01:53) What is an eSIM? Mandeep Birdi explains the fundamentals of this 100% digital SIM and how it's installed.(03:33) Apple's Big Move: How the new eSIM-only iPhones are accelerating the global shift away from physical SIM cards.(05:55) A Practical Guide: Peter Lubia walks through the simple, step-by-step process of getting an eSIM before you travel.(08:09) The Global-Local…

In this episode, I sit down with Russell Southwood, CEO of Balancing Act and author of Africa 2.0 and the Africa Interconnection Report 2025, to unpack 20+ years of telecoms, internet, data centres, AI, and policy across the continent. We go from Celtel and M-PESA to today’s cloud & AI wave—and the human and cultural factors that make (or break) adoption. Chapters 00:00 Intro01:30 Russell’s origin story (SOAS, Kenya at 7, early digital influences)07:18 Founding Balancing Act & the weekly Africa telecoms newsletter10:33 Lessons from the books (Less Walk, More Talk; Africa 2.0)17:53 E-commerce’s long runway & the digital divide (2G ↔ smartphones)21:28 Extending rural coverage (AMN, iSat, Vanu, Neuron & more)27:22 Data centers, cloud & AI — key takeaways from the Interconnection Report33:29 OTT regulation: innovation vs. control, free speech, shutdowns37:26 Broadband today, cable resilience & the rise of home internet40:45 Startups that last: solving real problems, not just raising rounds43:51 Government,…

In this episode of the Pure Digital Passion Podcast, I got an exclusive preview of the landmark 25th Annual PAMRO Media Research Conference, which returns to Nairobi after a 16-year hiatus. I was joined by two industry titans and key members of the conference organizing committee: Joe Otin (CEO, The Collective & Former PAMRO President) and Maggie Ireri (CEO, TIFA Research). They discussed the critical theme of "Trust and Truth" in today's media landscape, sharing their personal journeys with PAMRO and unpacking why this event is the most important gathering for media owners, marketers, agencies, and researchers in Africa this year. Key topics include: The significance of PAMRO's homecoming to Nairobi. Why "Trust and Truth" is the industry's most urgent conversation in the age of AI. The direct link between media research, advertising spend, and commercial success. The future of media measurement and the challenge of Big Tech. An inside look at the high-level speakers, panels, and networking opportunities.…

In this episode of Pure Digital Passion, I speak with Fahrettin Oylum, the Co-Founder of Teknopalas and senior executive at Doğuş Teknoloji—two technology leaders from Turkey that are bringing their bold, future-focused vision of IoT and RFID transformation to Kenya and the wider African region. Teknopalas has been at the cutting edge of UHF RFID and IoT since 2005. Fahrettin walks us through their innovation journey, including: ✅ Being one of the first 50 IoT companies globally, and the first in Turkey ✅ Launching patented solutions like the UHF RFID library system and real-time IoT vehicle protocols ✅ Building RFIDMarket.com, the largest IoT hardware marketplace globally ✅ Developing their unified, cloud-native IoT platform integrating RFID, Bluetooth, Lora, and more But this is more than just a technology story. It’s about digital transformation with impact. Teknopalas and Doğuş Teknoloji, in partnership with Techmind Global, are setting their sights on Kenya as a strategic hub for deploying…

In this episode, I take you through my latest experiment with NotebookLM, converting my recent blog post, An In-Depth Analysis of Safaricom Kenya’s FY25 Business Performance, into a Kiswahili audio overview. This podcast delves into Safaricom’s financial highlights, strategic initiatives, and market performance over the past year, offering insights into the company’s growth trajectory and its impact on the broader digital economy in Kenya. This experiment demonstrates how AI can make complex financial data more accessible to Kiswahili-speaking audiences, reflecting the potential for AI tools like NotebookLM to bridge language gaps and expand the reach of digital content.

In this episode, I share my first experiment using NotebookLM, Google’s AI-powered research and note-taking tool, to create a Kiswahili audio overview of my blog post, 30 Key Takeaways from Kenya’s Just Released National AI Strategy 2025-2030. This podcast explores the key takeaways from the Kenyan government’s ambitious AI strategy, including its KES 152 billion investment plan, and why this matters for the country’s digital future. By converting the original English text into Kiswahili, this overview aims to make the insights more accessible to a broader audience, particularly in East, Central, and Southern Africa where Kiswahili is widely spoken.

On the sidelines of the Zaumu launch yesterday, I finally met Anne Muhia in person — someone I had been introduced to virtually through a mutual friend a year or two ago. Life and packed schedules meant we never got to collaborate but meeting Anne was everything I expected — and more! For context, Zaumu is a newly launched Pan-African, creator-first digital marketplace designed to transform how brands and content creators collaborate. True to its Kiswahili name meaning "for the people," Zaumu puts creators at the centre, offering transparent job listings, milestone-based payments, enforceable contracts, direct brand communication, and AI-powered campaign management. Naturally, I couldn’t let the moment with Anne slip away. I did what I call a 'gangster podcast' — pulling out my phone and recording a raw, authentic conversation for my podcast, Pure Digital Passion. No studio, no fancy gear — just two creators talking entrepreneurship and digital storytelling. Anne’s Journey: From The C-Suite To TikTok Anne’s…

Yesterday, I attended the launch of Zaumu — a digital platform designed to reshape how content creators and brands collaborate, starting from Kenya but built for a Pan-African future. The event, hosted in Nairobi, featured a keynote by Cedric Nzomo, Zaumu’s Co-Founder, that felt more like an open letter to creators — a powerful and candid reflection on the challenges creators face and why Zaumu could mark a critical turning point. The Persistent Struggle of Being a Creator Cedric shared his journey from 2006, running one of the world’s largest Hip Hop blogs yet earning under US$1,000 over two years. Despite achieving global impact, brands offered "exposure," "access," or commissions — rarely real income. Even today, creators remain undervalued, despite better platforms and a booming digital culture across Africa. As Cedric said, "First, for us, is not a sales gimmick. It’s been our mission for over 20 years." What Makes Zaumu Different? While the creator marketplace space is crowded, Zaumu’s creator-first…

On Friday, 11th April 2025, I had the privilege of moderating a high-impact panel at the RIANA Group Security Executives Forum at the Hyatt Regency Nairobi. Themed “Integrating Security from the Ground Up”, the discussion explored the vital collaboration between architects, engineers, surveyors, and security professionals in designing and delivering safer, smarter buildings. We’re in an era where traditional approaches to security no longer cut it. Physical barriers, standalone CCTV systems, and manual visitor logs feel almost archaic when juxtaposed with today’s smart technologies, AI-driven threat detection, and integrated systems thinking. This is precisely the lens we applied to this forum. The panel comprised some of the region’s foremost professionals from the real estate, insurance, hospitality, and construction sectors: Andrey Lyubimov — Development Manager, HASS Consult Jack Njuguna — Regional Head of Security, Jubilee Insurance John Githiri — Director & Project Manager, Millstone Construction…

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of participating in a compelling and deeply insightful panel at Strathmore University’s School of Tourism and Hospitality, focused on how AI and Digital Marketing are transforming Kenya’s hospitality and tourism sectors. The event—hosted at the Microsoft Auditorium—was themed “Optimizing MarTech as a Strategic Tool for Business Success.” I joined a dynamic panel alongside Kevin Omondi (Founder, DotNext), Ronald Okumu (CEO, AI Connect), and hospitality industry veteran Tony Muiruri, with the discussion expertly moderated by Joe Owako. This wasn’t your typical academic event. It was raw, real, and filled with meaningful dialogue from both the panelists and a diverse audience. From influencer marketing to predictive analytics, we unpacked how hospitality players in Kenya must urgently adopt smarter, AI-driven strategies to stay competitive. What We Discussed AI Is Not the Future—It’s Now Ronald made it clear: AI is already driving real outcomes in hospitality—lowering costs,…

Last week, I had the pleasure of sitting down at the Visa Innovation Studio in Nairobi 🇰🇪 with three exceptional leaders—Olivia Etyang’ from Visa 💳, Evans Toroitich from Citi 🏦, and Catherine Wangechi from Cellulant 🔗—to unpack one of the most exciting fintech collaborations I’ve come across in a long time.Together, these three premier organizations have launched Citi Optimized Pay 🚀—a bold and timely solution aimed at addressing one of the most persistent problems facing businesses in Kenya and beyond: the working capital gap in supply chains 💸.💼 Why Citi Optimized Pay MattersAccording to the IFC, Kenya’s supply chain finance gap is estimated at over $25 billion—a staggering 25% of our GDP 📉. The challenge? Suppliers—especially SMEs—often wait 60 to 90 days to get paid after delivering goods or services 📦. Meanwhile, large corporate buyers typically want to delay payments to manage their own cash flow 🕒. The result is a working capital stalemate that can cripple smaller businesses 🧱.Citi Optimized Pay…

🎙️ In this episode of the Pure Digital Passion Podcast, I sat down with Michael Nyaga, Regional Consultant for East and Southern Africa at Creditinfo Kenya, to explore how Creditinfo is transforming the onboarding journey in digital lending — starting with the launch of its next-generation eKYC platform in Nairobi. 🇰🇪 Kenya is the first global market to experience this intelligent, modular Identity | KYC | Fraud solution, designed to improve how financial institutions identify, verify, and onboard customers — while preventing fraud from day one. Michael draws on two decades of experience in digital banking and lending innovation across Equity Bank, I&M Bank, and now Creditinfo to discuss: ✅ Why thin-file customers need psychometrics + alternative data✅ How to digitize onboarding for MSMEs and the gig economy✅ What it takes to move from static credit limits to intelligent scoring✅ How embedded credit is shaping the next decade of financial access✅ The future of real-time, API-based decisioning for lenders in…

🎙️ In this episode of the Pure Digital Passion Podcast, I sat down with Rob Meakin, Director of Fraud & Identity at Creditinfo Group, during the official launch of Creditinfo’s new Identity | KYC | Fraud platform in Nairobi. 🇰🇪 Kenya is the first global market to roll out this next-gen eKYC solution — designed to help digital lenders, banks, and fintechs verify identities, prevent fraud, and build trust from the very first customer interaction. Rob shares insights from over 20 years in fraud management and digital identity innovation across the UK and global markets. We discuss: ✅ Why trust in digital finance starts with multi-attribute identity verification ✅ How AI is being used (and misused) in the fraud prevention space ✅ Why simple ID checks are no longer enough in today’s environment ✅ How Creditinfo’s platform uses cross-source analytics to detect anomalies ✅ The cost of onboarding fraud — from bad debt to customer drop-off ✅ Why Kenya’s ecosystem was chosen for the global rollout ✅ What it takes to…