Podcasts · Coffee Pump Podcast

Skunkworks, Swift Global & Building Kenya’s Internet - Michuki Mwangi | Coffee Pump (E095)

26 May 2026 · 1 h 37 min · S1 E95

Konnichiwa Fam, On E095, I sit down with Michuki Mwangi, one of the key figures behind the growth of Kenya’s internet ecosystem and connectivity industry. From the early dial-up days to KIXP, KeNIC, AFNOG, and internet policy development across Africa, this was a masterclass on how the internet in Kenya was actually built. We talk about:

- The early days of computers, dial-up internet, and fax-over-IP

- Working at Swift Global during Kenya’s internet infancy

- The Y2K bug and the chaos surrounding it

- Building and scaling Kenya’s ISP ecosystem

- The creation of KIXP and why local internet exchange mattered

- DNS, KeNIC, and bringing .ke domains back to Kenya

- Internet policy, regulators, and infrastructure development

- Community building within Africa’s tech ecosystem

- The future of internet connectivity and untapped African markets

We also get into burnout, self-learning, tech culture in the 90s, and the importance of mentorship and knowledge sharing in building industries from scratch. And much, much more.

Hope you enjoy the episode.

Best,

Team Coffee Pump

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- Website: https://www.camerasafrica.com

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Find Michuki Mwangi:

- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michuki.mwangi

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michuki-mwangi-466a583/

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michuki_mwangi/

- ISOC Pulse: https://pulse.internetsociety.org/en/

Find our host Sajid Vayani:

- Instagram: https://instagram.com/sajidvayani?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==

- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sajvayani?_t=ZM-8tKwY3KSEon&_r=1

- YouTube: https://youtube.com/@sajidvayani

- Twitter / X: https://x.com/sajvayani?s=21

Coffee Pump Audio:

- Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ke/podcast/coffee-pump/id1755013994

- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0X1unCgwcsMSoG7YfgAu73?si=FBy53R8rSCm-xXGJMKQtaQ

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The episode on the publisher’s site ↗ (opens in a new tab)