Joe Mucheru Matiangi Uhuru
Joe Mucheru came to the limelight in 2015 after former President Uhuru Kenyatta appointed him as the Cabinet Secretary in charge of ICT.
The former Cabinet Secretary attended Nairobi Primary school moved to Lenana High School and later enrolled at the City University of London, where he earned a BSc in Economics and Computer Science in 1993.
He worked as a webmaster at Internet Solutions from 1997 to 199, eventually rising to the position of senior manager in charge of infrastructure development.
His breakthrough came in 2009 when he and Njeri Rionge co- founded Wananchi Online, an IT services and consulting firm.
Wananchi Online improved internet connectivity in Kenya by offering low-cost services to people and businesses.
Mucheru rose through the ranks of the corporation, from Chief Technology Officer to Chief Executive Officer in an operation that controls the Zuku digital TV service.
The company sold a 50% stake to Emerging Capital Partners (ECP) for Ksh 2 billion.
Joe Mucheru
Mucheru boasts extensive technological skills and previously worked as Google’s Sub- Saharan Africa ambassador.
During his time at the tech giant Mucheru oversaw many experimental studies, strategies, and business operations.
In 2009 Google appointed him to be the Regional Lead for Sub- Saharan Africa. In 2012 he was promoted to become the Regional Lead for Africa and served up to 2015.
He also served as the firm’s Energy Access and Investment Regional Lead for Africa from before he joined former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s cabinet.
Mucheru has also been on the boards of many Kenyan companies, including the M-Pesa Foundation Academy advisory board, the payments platform Bitpesa (now Aza Group), and GiveDirectly.
While being vetted in 2015 Mucheru stated that he was worth Ksh 500 at the time with Ksh267 million in deferred income.
The former CS was married to Aida Wambui but divorced in June 2015 after being together for 10 years.
