The co-founder of Wananchi Online and a trailblazing figure in Kenya’s tech landscape, Njeri Rionge has passed on. Rionge played a pivotal role in the transformation of Wananchi Online into Zuku, a widely popular Internet Service Provider (ISP) that evolved into East Africa’s leading pay-TV, broadband Internet, and VoIP services firm.

Zuku, born out of Wananchi’s visionary leadership, became a cornerstone in the region’s digital landscape, offering services ranging from high-speed internet access to cutting-edge pay-TV solutions. Rionge’s passing prompted an emotional farewell from Joe Mucheru, Kenya’s former ICT Cabinet Secretary via X (formerly Twitter). “Goodbye Njeri. We will miss you,” he posted on X. The tech maven’s journey began in 1999 when Rionge, alongside Mucheru, co-founded Wananchi Online, a venture that would later morph into the formidable Wananchi Group, Zuku’s parent company.

While the details surrounding Rionge’s passing remain unclear, her death marks the end of an era for the tech community.

Her legacy as a revered tech entrepreneur, will undoubtedly continue to resonate in the region’s tech ecosystem.