Kenyan tech entrepreneur Njeri Rionge, a multimillionaire renowned for her pioneering work as a co-founder of Wananchi Online, an Internet Service Provider (ISP), has passed away at the age of 54.
Rionge, who co-founded Wananchi Group in 1999 alongside Kenya’s former ICT Cabinet Secretary Joseph Mucheru, played a pivotal role in transforming it into Wananchi Group, the parent company of Zuku, East Africa’s leading pay-TV, broadband Internet, and VoIP services provider.
Mucheru expressed his condolences via Twitter, stating: “Goodbye Njeri. We will miss you greatly.”
Forbes magazine once referred to Njeri as one of ‘Africa’s most successful women.’
Among Rionge’s many successful ventures, Ignite Consulting, a firm specializing in coaching, strategy facilitation, and organizational effectiveness, stands out prominently.
Throughout her illustrious career, Rionge held board positions at several notable organizations, including 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), Ambulance Air Rescue (AAR) Holdings, and Wananchi Group. Additionally, she served as an advisory committee member for Sport at the Service of Humanity at the Vatican.
