Njeri Rionge, celebrated techpreneur and Wananchi Online co-founder is dead

Rionge co-founded Wananchi Online in 1999 with former ICT Cabinet Secretary Joseph Mucheru. It later became today’s Wananchi Group, Zuku’s parent company, and East Africa’s leading pay-TV, broadband Internet, and VoIP services firm.

The former ICT CS mourned her death tweeting "Goodbye Njeri. We will miss you greatly."

Described as a 'serial entrepreneur' by Forbes magazine, Njeri always spoke of her belief in Africa as the world's next economic frontier.

"I create companies serially because I believe that Africa is the next economic frontier and we must build indigenous organisations that will support this growth,” she once told the international publication.

Ignite Consulting, a firm that specializes in 'coaching, strategy facilitation and organizational effectiveness' is also one of Njeri's most successful creations, among many other companies. 

Throughout her highly-decorated professional life, Njeri held board positions at Unilever Tea (Brooke Bond Kenya), the Institute of Directors (Kenya), the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the East African Tea Trade Association (EATTA), and Ambulance Air Rescue (AAR) Holdings, and at Wananchi Group. 

She was also an advisory committee member of Sport at the Service of Humanity at the Vatican.