NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 30 – Former ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru has been appointed President of JUMO, a London-based technology company building next-generation financial services.
The firm provides digital financial services such as loans, savings, and insurance products to emerging markets.
In the role, Mucheru will support the company to deliver its growth goals, navigate the regulatory landscape, and build the firm’s presence across the African continent.
Confirming the appointment in a LinkedIn profile update, Mucheru noted that he brings a wealth of government experience and in-depth knowledge of pan-African tech to the JUMO executive team.
Mucheru was the former Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs, appointed by former President Uhuru Kenyatta. He held office from 2015 to 2022.
He was previously the head of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for Google, based in Nairobi, serving as Google’s first SSA employee.
He joined Google in 2007 where he led the delivery of strategy, business planning, and operations and was key to setting up Google’s presence on the continent.
Prior to Google, he worked at Wananchi Online, the parent company of internet service provider Zuku, a company he co-founded in 1999.
Mucheru is an alumnus of City, University of London, where he graduated in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Computer Science.
“We are honoured to be able to welcome Joe to JUMO. He brings an invaluable perspective given his experience as an entrepreneur, Google executive and regulator,” said Andrew Watkins-Ball, JUMO Founder and CEO.
Founded in London, JUMO has built a platform that enables banks to reach millions of new customers with credit and savings products.
To date, the JUMO platform has been used to make 130 million loans, totalling USD4 billion, to more than 20 million people and small businesses in Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, and Côte d’Ivoire.