Kennedy Kinyua Wanjohi

Senior Program & Partnerships Manager
wanjohi@kennedykinyua.com Nairobi, Kenya linkedin.com/in/kennedy-w-kinyua kennedykinyua.com +254 727 083 189

Professional Summary

Program Manager with 8+ years of experience across FinTech, EdTech, and digital ecosystems, currently exploring Ethical AI and Tech Governance. Specializing in building and scaling operations, partnerships, and multi-stakeholder programs, driving innovation in educational technology and alternative learning pathways with a focus on inclusive digital solutions for underserved communities.

Key Performance Indicators

Joint Program Success Rate: 90%
SLA Compliance: 100%
Partner Retention Rate: 90%
Program Completion Rate: 85%
Average Time to Launch: 12 weeks

Professional Experience

Skills Lab Partnership & Project Manager

Umuzi.org · Freelance
South Africa (Hybrid)
Apr 2025 - Present
(1 yr 7 mos)
  • Program Design & Strategy
  • Curriculum & Content Development Oversight
  • Stakeholder & Partnership Management
  • Program Operations, Reporting, Monitoring & Impact Evaluation
Partner Reporting Cross-functional Team Leadership Program Design & Strategy Stakeholder Management

Partnership Project Manager - Global Projects

Umuzi.org · Freelance
South Africa (On-site)
Apr 2024 - Apr 2025
(1 yr)

Handpicked to champion SAP's global partnership expansion in the Philippines, Nigeria, South Africa, & Kenya, driving impact across diverse countries globally.

  • Led and delivered education programs focused on systemic inequalities, resulting in a 60% increase in community engagement and 500 new participants in marginalized African countries.
  • Oversaw annual program budgets exceeding $500K with full P&L responsibility, achieving a 15% improvement in cost efficiency while maintaining 99% compliance rates across 20+ active partnerships.
  • Instituted evaluation frameworks and market assessment processes to ensure 100% adherence to donor governance requirements, resulting in a 30% improvement in partnership outcomes.
  • Operated in a fast-paced, resource-constrained environment requiring rapid pivoting and innovative solution development to meet evolving market demands and user needs.
Donor Engagement Leadership Partnership Management Budget Management A/B Testing UX Design

Head of Alternative Learning Pathways

Umuzi.org · Freelance
South Africa (On-site)
Mar 2022 - Mar 2024
(2 yrs)
  • Advocated for youth development priorities at regional education forums, securing policy support for alternative learning pathways serving marginalized communities.
  • Influenced donor strategy development through evidence-based advocacy, securing $500K+ in recurring partnerships supporting gender-inclusive programming.
  • Pioneered comprehensive user journey mapping and requirement documentation, resulting in an 85% increase in program referrals through improved user experience.
  • Steered product roadmap for gamified learning modules and interactive platforms, collaborating with engineering teams to deliver technical specifications.
Donor Engagement Leadership Product Strategy User Journey Mapping Grant Writing Community Engagement

Product Manager

BBO Ltd · Freelance
Malta (Remote)
Oct 2020 - Mar 2022
(1 yr 10 mos)
  • Managed a portfolio of enterprise clients, ensuring strong relationships, ongoing product adoption, and long-term satisfaction. This involved collaborating with community stakeholders to ensure the app met their needs and reflected their priorities, resulting in a 35% reduction in launch cycle time.
  • Spearheaded customer onboarding for app launches, coordinating cross-team migration tasks (engineering, QA, and marketing) and providing hands-on training to 50+ client-facing representatives, resulting in a 95% adoption rate post-launch.
  • Drove 95% app adoption within 6 months by orchestrating phased incentives, on-device education, and agency-assisted onboarding; reached 120k MAU and USD 14M monthly TPV.
  • Resolved priority support tickets (login issues, feature misconfiguration) by collaborating with QA and support teams through Zendesk—maintaining a 4.9/5 CSAT rating and clearing 90% of tickets within the first 24 hours.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Global Cross-Functional Team Leadership Product Management Backlog Management Jira Confluence

Notable Projects

SAP Educate To Employ

Umuzi.org · Program Lead
Oct 2023 - Present

Youth unemployment remains disproportionately high, especially among underserved communities. There was a need for structured programs that bridge the gap between education and employable skills in a...

  • Successfully launched the pilot program, providing a structured educational-to-employment pathway for underserved youth.
  • Strengthened public-private collaboration across multiple stakeholders.
  • Created a replicable model that addresses skill gaps and reduces unemployment risk in the target demographic.
Youth Mobilization Youth Recruitment Youth Onboarding Project Management Partnership Management Adult Education

Google For Africa: Grow with Google Professional Certificates

Umuzi.org · Program and Partnership Manager
Jul 2023 - Jul 2024

Across Africa, young professionals often lack access to high-quality digital skills training, limiting their career opportunities in the technology sector. There was a need to provide structured, scal...

  • Successfully supported 2,000 young learners in accessing professional digital skills training.
  • Improved participants' readiness for tech careers, contributing to career acceleration and employability.
  • Strengthened Umuzi's African Coding Network (ACN) initiative and its reputation as a leading pan-African digital skills hub.
Grant Compliance Grant Administration Partner Reporting Global Cross-Functional Team Leadership Program Management

FinTech & Gaming Products: Quiqone, Xprizo, BetBeto & CWINZ

BBO Ltd · Product Manager
Oct 2020 - Mar 2022

Emerging FinTech and gaming markets in East Africa and Europe lacked integrated digital platforms for seamless payments and engaging, compliant gaming experiences. Lead the development and market laun...

  • Successfully launched Quiqone, improving transaction efficiency and adoption.
  • Deployed BetBeto and CWINZ in multiple markets, achieving strong engagement and revenue growth.
  • Streamlined product development processes and enhanced cross-functional collaboration.
Agile Project Management Go-to-Market Strategy Market Analysis Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Product Management FinTech Solutions

Core Competencies

Program Management

Project Planning • Stakeholder Management • Resource Allocation • Risk Management

Partnership Development

Strategic Partnerships • Contract Negotiation • SLA Management • Vendor Relations

Product Management

Product Strategy • Agile Methodology • MVP Development • Go-to-Market

Technology

FinTech • EdTech • Digital Platforms • API Integration

Leadership

Cross-functional Teams • Mentoring • Change Management • Performance Management

Education

IU International University of Applied Sciences

Bachelor of Applied Science - BASc, Artificial Intelligence
Sep 2025 - Jun 2027

The Technical University of Kenya

Bachelor of Engineering, Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Power
Aug 2013 - Dec 2017

Samsung Engineering Academy

Technical Training Certificate, Consumer Electronics, HVAC Systems, IT
Grade: Distinction
Jan 2015 - Dec 2016

Technoserve

Certificate in Agribusiness, Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, and Related Sciences
Grade: Distinction
Jan 2012 - Dec 2013

Andela Learning Community

Google Africa Scholarship, Front End Course
Jan 2018 - Dec 2018

Licenses & Certifications

Certificate of Completion: AI Fluency Framework & Foundations
Anthropic
Aug 2025
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure 2025 Certified AI Foundations Associate
Oracle
May 2025
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure 2025 Certified Foundations Associate
Oracle
May 2025
International Youth Conference (IYC)
International Youth Conference (IYC)
Sep 2023
Product Led Growth Micro-Certification (PSC)™️
Product School
Sep 2023
Product Strategy Micro-Certification (PSC)™️
Product School
Sep 2023
EF SET Certificate
EF SET
Oct 2022
Scrum Fundamentals Certified (SFC)
Certiprof
May 2022