Mastercard Foundation Alumni Network
Kenya
The Alumni Network is the culmination of our vision to mobilize the alumni from our programs — which include the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), Ashoka, the Youth Think Tank (YTT), the Scholars Program, the Anzisha Prize, and Youth Forward — to be a force for change.
To learn more about the Alumni Network, click here to complete the Mastercard Foundation Alumni Interest form.
To learn more about the Kenya Alumni Network email: mcfkenyaalumninetwork@gmail.com
Meet the Leadership Committee
Wangalwa Musa Wangalwa Musa
Wangalwa Musa is an experienced project management professional who empowers entrepreneurs and small businesses to achieve success. With 8 years of experience, Musa provides technical assistance, business support, and creates favorable environments for growth and development. He is known for his impact-oriented leadership, addressing youth unemployment, and delivering value. Musa has collaborated with organizations like GIZ, KCB Foundation, Kenya Climate Innovation Center, and the Youth Empowerment Programme Initiative to design and implement skills and enterprise development programs.
Currently pursuing an MBA in International Business Management at the University of Nairobi, Musa is a Future Africa fellow and an alumnus of Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). He holds certifications as a Trainer of Trainer and Trainer of Assessors from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and he was a finalist in Deloitte’s Business Skills Immersion program. During his free time, Musa enjoys exploring diverse cuisines, seeking thrilling adventures, spending time with loved ones, and volunteering for social causes that positively impact the community.
Nelson Komba Nelson Komba
Nelson Komba is an accomplished youth leader and a YALI alumnus with an exceptional track record in youth employability and community building. He possesses remarkable skills in program development, project management, alumni relations, and communications. He works at Generation Kenya as a coordinator for learner, alumni engagement, and mentorship.
Nelson’s outstanding writing skills have earned him major contributions to reputable publications such as the Daily Nation, The Standard, and the Education Newspaper in Kenya. He has made a significant impact on skills development, education, and youth empowerment, which has earned him admiration from many.
Driven by his passion for decent work and the need to support education that promotes evidence-based employment outcomes, Nelson has trained with the International Labour Organization on the Future of Work in the Rural Economy and Tracer Studies, equipping him with the skills to design youth-led employability programs. He will serve as the communications lead in the committee
Nafula Kisiangani Nafula Kisiangani
Nafula Kisiangani is a dedicated Social Justice Advocate and experienced Finance & Development practitioner with over 10 years of progressive experience. In 2019, she was recognized as Kenya’s most influential young leader in Leadership and Civil Society. As the Founder of Ubuntu Development Solution, she promotes sustainable social development in Sub-Saharan Africa through partnerships and capacity building. Her firm supports a community of 250 social entrepreneurs, primarily young individuals.
Nafula’s achievements include winning the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Award, being honored as a Global Champion for Change in Women Economic Empowerment for 2016/2017, and being nominated as a candidate for the position of Secretary-General UN Envoy on Youth. She is a fellow of YALI- Civic Leadership, Binti Uongozini, and Women for Africa (WE4A) Entrepreneur programs. Currently, Nafula serves as the Vice Hub Lead for the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurs Alumni chapter in Kenya.
Passionate about creating opportunities for young people, Nafula holds the role of Partnership & Collaboration Lead in the Alumni Committee of Kenya, where she aims to expand the productive space for Mastercard Foundation Alumni and youth in Kenya.
Mercy Kiminza Mercy Kiminza
Mercy Kiminza is a driven young professional and an alumna of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program. Currently pursuing a Computer Science degree at Strathmore University, she has developed a strong interest in project management and data science. Mercy is a graduate of the Taifa Teule Leadership Experience cohort 15, which has equipped her with valuable leadership skills.
Passionate about working with young people and unlocking their full potential, Mercy is an advocate for social impact. She has held leadership positions, including Treasurer at Beta Mentor Africa and Secretary General at Equity Leaders Program – Tech Hub. Beyond her academic pursuits, she actively mentors her peers, demonstrating her commitment to mentorship. Mercy is a bright and ambitious individual who strives to make a positive impact in her community.
Irine Gachigua Irine Gachigua
Irine Gachigua holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Moi University, Kenya, and is a Certified Public Accountant. As an alumnus of Youth Think Tank, she conducted research on leveraging the potential of hospitality and tourism for youth employment. Irine is deeply passionate about meaningful youth engagement and ensuring that youth policies and programs are informed by young people through her research and analytical skills.
Professionally, Irine serves as a Senior Associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers Limited. Previously, she worked as a research consultant at the Community and Progress Youth Empowerment Institute, where she collaborated with the leadership team on researching meaningful youth engagement in agribusiness and implementing research findings. Irine actively advocates for youth participation in governance and social development through public awareness meetings, sensitization programs, and high-quality research.
Irine actively engages in discussions related to young people and digital economies. She has participated in the Youth Connekt Summit in Kigali, Rwanda (2019), the Africa Inclusive Innovation Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (2019), and served as a Youth panelist for the US hub Restless Development in partnership with the Global Center for Youth Employment’s 2017 Ideathon.
Harun Mwadena Harun Mwadena
Harun Mwadena is a grassroots youth development advocate who has been actively involved in championing social accountability, economic inclusion, climate justice, and policy analysis for marginalized communities, particularly young people, in Kilifi, Mombasa, and Kwale County of Kenya since 2016. His work has allowed him to collaborate with local and global champions, promoting a bottom-up approach to create a better global future.
With years of experience, Harun has gained expertise in proposal development, project planning, management, stakeholder mapping, knowledge management, management consulting, social networking, and social media management. He is passionate about connecting with fellow
Changemakers, great ideas, and building networks to generate unique solutions and collaborative approaches.
Harun is the founder of Collaborative Approach Consultancy, a hybrid consultancy firm that manages projects like Changemakers Hikes and Adventure, East Africa Youth Consultancy Forum, and Global Peace Champions. His work aligns with SDG16, focusing on reducing violence, improving access to justice, and promoting effective institutions, as well as SDG17, partnership for goals. Harun engages in advocacy, active citizenship, awareness programs, and training to create positive change.
As a team leader, Harun brings together organizations, networks, and young leaders to co-create strategies, share resources, and take collective action toward localizing sustainable development goals and addressing systematic inequalities. He excels in designing and coordinating both virtual and physical sessions that foster peer exchange, knowledge sharing, and authentic bonding for effective collaborations and social networking among Changemakers.
Harun will serve as the Gender, Youth, and Marginalized Groups Lead under the Mastercard Foundation Alumni Network Kenya Chapter.
Lilian Okongo Lilian Okongo
Lilian Okongo is a final-year Computer Science student at Kenyatta University, Kenya, and a proud alumna of the Scholars Program. She has professional experience in marketing and sales within the Operations department at Equity Bank. Lilian actively mentors 72 girls at St. Bakita High School, Matuu, showcasing her dedication to transformative leadership, youth engagement, and community service. She also served in the Kenyatta University Equity Leaders Chapter for a year. With her diverse background and valuable experiences, Lilian is poised to make a positive impact in her future endeavors.
As the events and networking lead in the Mastercard Foundation Alumni network, Lilian aims to introduce programs, projects, and events that foster entrepreneurship, network building, and resource utilization. She is currently working on a computer science project with the aim of positively impacting lives and inspiring the youth. Through her give-back initiatives and passion for transformative leadership and community service, Lilian consistently demonstrates her commitment to youth engagement and community development. In her leisure time, she enjoys spending quality moments wit
Kenya - Past Alumni
Mastercard Foundation Alumni Network
The Alumni Network is the culmination of our vision to mobilize the alumni from our programs — which include the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), Ashoka, the Youth Think Tank (YTT), the Scholars Program, the Anzisha Prize, and Youth Forward — to be a force for change.
Meet the Leadership Committee
Esther Neema Esther Neema
Esther Neema holds a Master’s Degree in Journalism and Public Relations from the University of Nairobi, Kenya. She worked at Radio Africa as a reporter/presenter, spent two years at the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation hosting a women’s talk show and was at Pwani TV as a producer for one year.
In her quest to change the world and make it a better place, Esther Neema founded Dreams Tribe Network to build a community of entrepreneurs, innovators and to inspire them to collaborate on finding solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems. Through Dream Tribe Network, she has worked with over 450 entrepreneurs and run the TEDx Kibera platform for the last two years. Esther has close to 10 years of experience in entrepreneurship, business, event management and public relations consultancy.
Timon Bati Timon Bati
Timon Bati is completing his Bachelor of Science degree in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the United States International University-Africa. He is passionate about community health development and has over four years of experience working with youth-led organizations in areas of community health advocacy, community development, and youth development and empowerment.
He is the co-founder of Epi-Raconteur; a social impact project that focuses on promoting health literacy among young people living in the informal settlements within Nairobi City and currently a Youth Researcher under the Youth Think Tank program where he is working on a research project aimed at unpacking what makes Young African Women successful in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers.
Timon is keen on using his experience in Youth leadership, Research, and Public health training to support the work of the Alumni Network Committee and growth of young people on the continent
Michelle Rita Mwango Michelle Rita Mwango
Michelle Rita Mwango is a Young Africa Leaders Initiative (YALI) Fellow where she served as an Alumni Communications and Engagement Officer for the Nairobi Chapter. Michelle is a Lapid Leaders Africa graduate, a proponent for servant leadership for the African youth, where she served as the President of the Learning Labs Docket.
She is currently a Risk Analyst at Milhan Access Capital Limited and have had previous experience in management consulting.
Michelle is passionate about women and youth empowerment and mentors young high school girls through the Macheo Program at Strathmore University.
Willie Macharia Willie Macharia
Willie Macharia is a Mastercard Foundation Scholar alum with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. As a Mastercard Scholar, Macharia is committed to giving back to society through using his technological skills and thus lead and volunteer for digital literacy programs.
By joining the Mastercard Foundation Alumni Committee, Willie brings on board his vast experience in creating and leading communities. In 2020, as the lead of the University of Cape Town Computer Science Society, he organized, tech events, workshops and activities that benefited the members.
He has a distinguished record of accomplishment as software engineer, student leader and a writer. During his free time, Willie enjoys watching nature documentaries, listening to music, writing and having conversations with his fellow young people.
His future plans are to contribute to the cybersecurity field by pursuing research in the field and practicing.
Aggrey Ochieng Aggrey Ochieng
Aggrey Ochieng is a final year student at Kenyatta University pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Statistics. He is an experienced leader with a demonstrated history of working in the banking sector. With passion in youth leadership, he has successfully served in different leadership capacities including being a Lead Mentor under Equity Group Foundation, Alumni Manager and the President of Kenyatta University Equity Leaders Chapter.
His visionary perspectives has earned him opportunities to work in different community give back projects, including planning for the Nairobi Changing Faces Competition by the UN-HABITAT. He is a co-founder at Keynawings Investments Group.
Vivian Opondoh Vivian Opondoh
Vivian Opondoh has a Bachelors Degree in Aerospace Engineering from Western Michigan University(WMU) and a Postgraduate certificate in Data Science from the African Leadership University.
She had experience in software engineering and was part of the team that won the People’s Choice Award at the 2018 NASA Space Apps Challenge. Vivian doubles as the co-founder of Farmula; a data-driven company that is on a mission to automate activities across the agricultural supply chain.
Vivian is passionate about bridging the gender gap in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and believes strongly in learning by teaching and enjoys moderating tech discussions during her free time.
Millie Maina Millie Maina
Millie Maina holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Maseno University, Kenya and is currently enrolled in the Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme at the University of Suffolk, UK. Mille is a strong believer in the power of the youth to lead thought provoking conversation and drive meaningful impact on the continent, thus, she is a member of leadership fellowships like the Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI) East Africa and the Africa Change Makers Initiative.
Professionally, Millie is a management consultant at Open Capital Advisors and has previously worked in finance as well as sales and marketing. She loves intellectual dialogues and has taken part in the Yale Africa Business Practicum (2016) and Nairobi Securities Exchange Investment Challenge (2014). She also participated in the Global Management Challenge Kenya in 2020, where her team proceeded to the finals and emerged position 4th out of 80 teams.
Millie has held various leadership positions including leading the social affairs docket at the World Youth Parliament, Kenya in 2015 and serving as the President of the Rotaract Club of Muthaiga (2020 – 2021). She is an avid reader, and she enjoys travelling and dancing.