Joseph Mucheru

Joseph "Joe" Wakaba Mucheru is a pan-African technology, financial services and public-sector leader whose career has, for more than two decades, tracked and shaped the rise of Africa's digital economy. He is currently President of JUMO, the London-headquartered financial technology platform building AI-driven banking-as-a-service solutions for micro, small and medium enterprises across emerging markets. The company has deployed more than USD 10 billion in credit to over 40 million customers across Sub-Saharan Africa.

From 2015 to 2022, Mr. Mucheru served as Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications and Technology, Innovation and Youth Affairs in the Government of Kenya, appointed by H.E. President Uhuru Kenyatta. In that role, he led the digital transformation of the Kenyan state, digitizing more than 120 public services, extending the national fibre backbone to all 47 counties, delivering a national digital literacy programme that distributed more than 1.2 million devices, and championing the landmark Data Protection Act of 2019 and the establishment of its regulator. Under his leadership, Kenya secured the African hubs of Google, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services, reinforcing its position as the continent's "Silicon Savannah."

Earlier, Mr. Mucheru was Google's first employee in Sub-Saharan Africa, joining the company in 2007 and building its operations from the ground up across six countries. Prior to that, he co-founded Wananchi Online, one of East Africa's pioneering internet service providers, where he served as Chief Technology Officer, Strategy Director and Chief Executive Officer. He also chaired the Telecommunications Service Providers Association of Kenya.

Mr. Mucheru's leadership has extended across the continent's digital ecosystem. As Chairman of the African Telecommunications Union, a specialized agency of the African Union, and through leadership roles within the Smart Africa Alliance, he worked with governments across Africa to harmonize digital policy and advance the vision of a single African digital market. Kenya's Digital Economy Blueprint, developed during his tenure, has since served as a model for other member states. He represented Kenya at the 2017 G7 Summit in Italy and has engaged extensively with the United Nations, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and ICANN, working alongside heads of state, technology leaders and international investors.

Mr. Mucheru is a Trustee of the University of Nairobi Foundation and a former Global Board Member of UNICEF's Generation Unlimited. He has also served on the boards of GiveDirectly, AZA Group (formerly BitPesa), UAP Old Mutual Investments and the M-PESA Foundation Academy.

Mr. Mucheru holds a Bachelor of Science (Joint Honours) in Economics and Computer Science from City, University of London, and completed the Stanford Executive Program at Stanford Graduate School of Business. In recognition of his contributions to Kenya's development, he has been awarded both Elder of the Order of the Golden Heart (EGH) and Moran of the Order of the Burning Spear (MBS).