Naftal Nyabuto

Naftal Nyabuto is a Kenyan entrepreneur and technology-driven leader with over 19 years’ experience across enterprise, development, and institutional transformation. He became a college principal at 24, overseeing more than 1,000 students, and has since built 10+ ventures, mobilized over $10 million and scaled institutions with technology as a core enabler.

His technology portfolio includes M-Zawadi Group, a venture studio delivering digital infrastructure, loyalty, fintech and enterprise solutions for African SMEs, manufacturers and financial institutions, and Wakili.org, an AI-powered legal chatbot supporting 20+ languages for accessible legal aid. He also founded Sho Shin Innovation Hub, using the ‘Beginner’s mind’ into practice: approaching real-time challenges without fixed assumptions, listening first, prototyping fast with IoT and AI, and iterating until technology produces measurable impact.

Naftal has led programmes with UNDP, UNEP, EU, DANIDA, FAO, WWF, CARE and USAID, focused on livelihoods, enterprise growth and institutional capacity. His expertise spans Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), Edge Computing, Fintech and Digital infrastructure. As an author and speaker, he argues that technology must serve human outcomes and leave institutions stronger.