Former CS Joe Mucheru appointed president of UK fintech Jumo
Former ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru.
Former Information Communication Technology (ICT) Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru has landed a new job. Mr Mucheru has been appointed president of London-based fintech company Jumo.
“It is true I have been appointed the president of Jumo, a London-based fintech firm,” Mr Mucheru told Nation.Africa on Sunday.
Jumo is a mobile phone-based financial services platform that facilitates digital services in credit and savings.
Mr Mucheru updated his LinkedIn profile stating his mandate includes "supporting the company to deliver its growth goals, navigate the regulatory landscape, and build the firm’s presence across Africa."
The company which has a presence mostly around Africa and Asia boasts of a market reach of 10 million customers.
Last December, Mr Mucheru publicly hit out at President William Ruto’s allies for taunting those who worked under former President Uhuru Kenyatta's government.
The former CS said he was at pains to understand "why they keep on celebrating and making it a big issue that they sent us home".
"Who does not love going home? What is the big deal with someone going to his or her home? Why would one dare think that going home is a bad feeling?"
“We went home yes...many of us...and I am yet to receive a single phone distress call from any of my former workmates complaining that life went bad for them," he said.
Mr Mucheru served as CS for ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs from 2015 to 2022. He was previously the head of Sub-Saharan Africa for Google, based in Nairobi.
Before joining Google, he served as Chief Executive Officer for Wananchi Online, the parent company of internet service provider Zuku, a company he co-founded in 1999.
He is an alumnus of the City University of London, where he graduated in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Computer Science.
During an interview in December 2022, Mr Mucheru said he would start looking around for options in January.
"I'm a fish back to familiar waters...I will serve the world on another platform," he said.
He added: “Even Uhuru Kenyatta is doing fine and we have accepted that we are out of government...we know there is a new government yes...but that does not mean we were wrong in our preferred choice who was defeated.”
Mr Mucheru, who was in the line of fire during the divisive campaigns leading to the August 9 General Election insisted that, "I feel fine and there was no punishment felt by being sent packing”.
He said he had no regrets about supporting the Azimio la Umoja Coalition.
“There is no law that barred me from supporting that cause...”
While he said he respects and appreciates Dr William Ruto's presidency, he noted that "time will tell on why I had seen it differently".
