Naisenya Mungai
Digital Transformation Tech Lead
Nairobi
Summary
Strategic Product & Innovation Leader with over 10 years of experience driving data-driven digital transformation, emerging market growth, and platform strategies in the Fintech and Telecommunications industries. Proven expertise in API-first product development, developer advocacy, and cross-functional partnerships with global tech ecosystems. Recognized as one of Africa's Top 45 Most Influential Women in Digital Transformation (2023-2024). Received prestigious awards such as the Safaricom CEO Leadership Award and Vodacom Customer Experience Award. Notable achievements include scaling engineering capacity by 200%, reducing attrition to under 2%, and leading award-winning programs like Decode by Safaricom – East Africa's leading engineering summit, established through strategic collaboration with global partners. Leadership approach characterized by empathy, agility, and purpose, with a strong focus on consumer-first innovation, platform adoption, and inclusive digital access that delivers sustainable value across the ecosystem.
Overview
9
9
years of professional experience
6
6
years of post-secondary education
11
11
Certifications
Work History
Digital Transformation - Tech Lead
Safaricom Limited
Nairobi
10.2023 - Current
- Translated Safaricom’s digital vision into product strategies with quantifiable KPIs and tracked performance through innovation scorecards.
- Directed API-first product development, establishing Studio-style innovation labs and managing product backlogs across 3 squads.
- Championed customer-centric digital culture by designing and launching Kenya’s first national-level digital talent pipeline in collaboration with academia, industry, and government (Vision 2030 aligned).
- Implemented data-driven improvements to developer experience (DX), streamlining onboarding and enabling faster platform adoption.
- Drove up-skilling for 3,000+ developers and engineers via guild partnerships and open innovation initiatives.
- Led a cross-functional team in mapping and optimizing key processes, implementing automation solutions, and transitioning to paperless environments.
- Collaborated with the marketing team to launch campaigns promoting digital solutions, fostering collaboration with external experts, and benchmarking our digital capabilities against industry best practices.
- Rated Outstanding Performer in the Financial year 2023/24.
- Awarded Safaricom CEO Leadership Award (2024) for excellence in cross-functional leadership and impact.
Digital Delivery Lead
Safaricom Limited
Nairobi, Nairobi Province
06.2021 - 09.2023
- Delivered key product enhancements via agile squads, increasing software release frequency and driving platform growth.
- Established a scalable Software Factory operating model – increasing internal capacity by 200% and improving developer engagement.
- Co-designed and led 'Decode', East Africa’s leading Engineering Summit with 46,000+ virtual attendees and 14+ strategic partners.
- Partnered with CX, Product, and Technical Guilds to deliver enhanced end-user experiences and rollout of key platform APIs.
- Led data analysis on developer usage patterns and optimized backlog prioritization using test-and-learn experimentation.
- Rated Top Performer in the Financial year 2022/23 and 2021/2023 for innovation delivery and developer satisfaction metrics.
Network Optimization and Automation Engineer
Safaricom Limited
Nairobi, Nairobi Province
01.2019 - 05.2021
- Built and deployed Safaricom’s Home Installer App, reducing customer activation time by 90% and improving first-time install success.
- Implemented automation in voice/data network optimization, reducing call drops by 30% and MTTR from 1 week to 3 hours.
- Oversaw rollout of 100+ LTE/3G/2G sites, boosting rural and urban accessibility—enabling 77%+ national 4G coverage by 2020.
- Designed KPI dashboards and led rapid performance benchmarking to optimize capacity and service reliability.
- Designed and rolled out Insights driven network expansion and infrastructure modernization of 100 2G, 3G and LTE coverage, capacity and quality sites driving growth for data and enhancing customer experience - 77% of the population on 4G, 35% improvement since 2019.
- Rated Top Performer in the year 2020/2021 for delivering above and beyond key objectives, with speed, simplicity and trust and exceeding expectations.
Home Customer Channels Engineer
Safaricom Limited
09.2019 - 12.2019
- Developed the FTTH Mali App and AI-powered chatbot to manage fiber asset lifecycle, reducing operational inefficiencies and support costs.
- Integrated Zuri platform AI for real-time fault resolution and customer engagement improvements.
Network Planning and Optimization Engineer
Safaricom Limited
Nairobi, Nairobi Province
11.2015 - 01.2019
- Designed 350+ new network sites, increasing 3G coverage by 34% and connecting 238,000+ underserved Kenyans via USF projects.
- Led the 'Best Network in Kenya' program, delivering 110% quality improvement in P3/Umlaut benchmarks over 4 years.
Education
Certification - Software Engineering
Moringa School
Nairobi 01.2019 - 06.2019
Bachelor of Engineering - Electrical and Telecommunications Engineering
Moi University
Eldoret 09.2009 - 12.2014
Skills
- Product Strategy & Roadmapping
- Data-Driven Decision Making & Performance Analytics
- Emerging technology expertise
- API Design, Platform Integration & Developer Experience (DX)
- Agile Delivery & Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC)
- Global Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Stakeholder Engagement & Communication Strategy
- User-Centered Design & Experimentation Culture
- Go-to-Market Strategy & Product Enablement
- Innovation Program Management & Strategic Partnerships
Certification
10/01/21, ITIL 4 Leader: Digital & IT Strategy
Awards
- 11/01/24, CIO 100 - Top 45 Most Influential Women in Digital Transformation in Africa 2023 - 2024
- 10/01/22, Safaricom CEO Awards – Influential Leadership Award
- 12/01/23, Vodacom CEO Awards – Customer Experience Award
Timeline
Digital Transformation - Tech Lead
Safaricom Limited
10.2023 - Current
Digital Delivery Lead
Safaricom Limited
06.2021 - 09.2023
Home Customer Channels Engineer
Safaricom Limited
09.2019 - 12.2019
Network Optimization and Automation Engineer
Safaricom Limited
01.2019 - 05.2021
Certification - Software Engineering
Moringa School
01.2019 - 06.2019
Network Planning and Optimization Engineer
Safaricom Limited
11.2015 - 01.2019
Bachelor of Engineering - Electrical and Telecommunications Engineering
Moi University
09.2009 - 12.2014
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