Former ICT CS Joe Mucheru appointed president of UK fintech Jumo

Former ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru has been appointed the president of Jumo, a London-based fintech (financial technology) company.

Confirming the news through his LinkedIn profile, Mucheru said he will support the company to deliver its growth goals, navigate the regulatory landscape, and build the firm’s presence across the African continent under his new role.

“Jumo is revolutionising the lending space in Africa, connecting entrepreneurs and individuals to the financial products they need to grow and prosper. I am hugely excited to be joining a business that is helping capital providers make attractive returns at the same time as supporting measurable impact,” the former CS said.

Jumo’s founder and CEO Andrew Watkins-Ball on his part said: “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.”

The fintech partners with banks, MNOs and other e-commerce players to deliver progressive financial choices to customers, according to the company’s Crunchbase profile.

With operations in emerging markets across Africa and Asia, Jumo targets mostly micro and small to medium enterprises that need instant access to finance so they can grow and invest.

The company boasts of a reach of 10 million customers since its founding in 2015.

Mucheru served as CS for ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs in former president Uhuru Kenyatta's government from 2015 to 2022.

He was previously the head of Sub-Saharan Africa for Google, based in Nairobi.

Prior to Google, he was CEO of 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.