Kagure Wamunyu: Shaking Up Kenya’s Multi-Million Dollar Construction Industry 

Kenyan civil engineer and urban planner Kagure Wamunyu has made a name for herself as a prominent figure in the African tech scene. Currently serving as the CEO and Co-Founder of Jumba, a construction tech start-up simplifying the purchase and financing of construction materials in Africa, Wamunyu has amassed an impressive array of experience throughout her career.

Wamunyu holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from North Carolina State University and a Master of Science in City and Regional Planning from the University of Berkeley. As of November 2018, she was also registered as a part-time PhD student at the University of Oxford, focusing juon Sustainable Urban Development.

After returning to Kenya in 2015, Wamunyu served as the Head of Operations at Uber Kenya, based in Nairobi. She was later promoted to the position of Country Manager for Uber in Kenya, becoming the youngest person to hold the position at the age of 27. In 2017, she left Uber to join Bridge International Academies as Senior Director of Strategy. In 2019, she joined Kobo360 as Global Head of Operations, where she was charged with the launch and growth of the company across Africa.

Wamunyu has been recognized for her achievements with several awards, including the Pamela Mboya Award by the Zawadi Africa Education Fund in 2013, the Sharon D. Banks Award by the Women in Transportation Organization in 2011, and the Outstanding Leadership Award by Meredith International Association in 2010. In 2018, she was named one of the “Top 40 Under 40 Women in Kenya” by Business Daily Africa.

With her extensive experience and impressive accomplishments, Wamunyu is undoubtedly one of the most influential and promising figures in African tech today.

Wamunyu’s Jumba raises $4.5 million.

Jumba recently secured $4.5 million in funding to complete it’s seed round. The investment was led by LocalGlobe and Enza Capital and will facilitate the company’s expansion in Kenya and exploration of new opportunities in the East African market. 

This funding round comes only eight months after Jumba’s preseed round, where the company raised $1 million from notable investors such as Foundamental, Seedstars International Ventures, Logos Ventures, SpeedInvest, First Check Africa, and the Alumni Angel Network.