Flutterwave hires ex-Chipper, Microsoft and Safaricom employees in Kenyan expansion drive

Flutterwave has multiple primary markets, including Kenya, Nigeria, and Egypt. However, it does not have a payments and remittance licence for its Kenya operation. Its recent activities imply it is optimistic about its future in East Africa.

Flutterwave is hiring more staff for its Kenyan operations as it expands its footprint in the country. The company has hired employees from prominent companies in the last few months, including Chipper Cash, Microsoft, Safaricom, and Wasoko. Leon Kiptum, the former country manager at Chipper Cash, joined Flutterwave as SVP for East Africa. Saruni Maina, a former Chipper Merchant Business Executive, has also been hired as Assistant Vice President (AVP) of Stablecoins.

Flutterwave hired Edward Gondi as its People Operations Lead. Gondi worked for Wasoko, an e-commerce platform, and Safaricom before moving to Flutterwave. After a stint at The Room and Microsoft, Irene Wambui also joined Flutterwave as a Talent Manager. Bilha Mumbi joined Flutterwave this year as a Sales Manager after working in Kenyan banks and Telkom Kenya.

More employment opportunities in Kenya

These hirings are not limited to Kenya, as the company is expanding its presence in other markets and bringing in new staff. Currently, it is recruiting for the following positions (in Kenya): Manager for Global Expansion and payment Partnerships; Senior Manager, Country Compliance Officer; Senior Associate for Business Systems and Process Re-engineering; and an Analyst for Account Configuration, among other roles.

A local Flutterwave office for Kenya is also in the pipeline

The fintech company also plans to open a local office for its Kenya operations. However, the exact date for the launch is yet to be revealed. The company shared these updates during the Kauffman Fellow’s event held in Nairobi a month ago. At the conference, Flutterwave’s CEO, Olugbenga Agboola, told TechCabal that the company had already kick-started its hiring exercise.

Opening a local office makes sense because Flutterwave names Kenya as its primary market, alongside Nigeria, South Africa, and Egypt. The company has also set up strategic offices in Rwanda, Ghana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, and Senegal. Its Kenya operations, however, are limited to partnerships with the likes of Uber, where Flutterwave processes deposits made from M-PESA accounts to Uber wallets.

Flutterwave is edging closer to acquiring a remittance and payments license from the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) after receiving name approval from the same regulator. With a plan to invest over $50 million in Kenya, it is clear that Flutterwave is positive about acquiring payments and remittance licenses for a full-fledged operation. While Flutterwave’s Nairobi office did not respond to TechCabal’s inquiry about these developments, it promised to shed more light on expansion plans in the coming days.