I'm a Senior Data Engineer and Analytics Engineering Leader with a track record of building impactful, end-to-end data solutions that drive business growth and slash operational costs. My journey at Lori Systems, from Junior Data Scientist to Senior Engineer, has given me a unique, full-stack perspective on data. I don't just build pipelines; I build products that solve real-world problems, from optimizing logistics in Africa to empowering small businesses with AI.
My specialty is turning complex business needs into elegant, efficient, and cost-effective technical solutions. I thrive on leading projects from initial architecture to final deployment, mentoring teams, and collaborating across departments to ensure data creates tangible value. Having worked remotely since 2020, I excel in asynchronous communication and am highly proficient with tools like Jira, Slack, and GitHub for seamless collaboration.
My career is a story of consistent growth, leadership, and a relentless drive to find better solutions. I see data not just as a resource to be managed, but as a product to be built and delivered.
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From Insight to Impact (Junior Data Scientist, 2019): I began by turning raw data into actionable insights, building dashboards on Sisense to guide operational decisions. My proudest early win was an ML script that extracted truck registration data from unstructured WhatsApp messages, boosting data accuracy by 30% and leading the design of new internal apps.
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Engineering for Efficiency (Data Engineer, 2021-2023): As I moved into data engineering, my focus shifted to building the foundation for scale. I built robust ETL/ELT pipelines using Airflow, managed our Redshift data warehouse, and consistently sought out cost-saving opportunities.
- Cost Reduction Champion: I led the migration from a paid BI tool (Sisense) to Metabase, cutting BI infrastructure costs by 40%.
- Homegrown Orchestrator: I engineered a lightweight, in-house pipeline orchestrator using Celery Beat and Flask, replacing Airflow for specific tasks and reducing our orchestration costs by another 15%.
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Leading with Data (Senior Data Engineer, 2025): Today, I lead the development of analytics features for our external-facing applications. By integrating JavaScript and Highcharts, I'm delivering sophisticated, user-friendly dashboards that provide critical performance insights directly to our customers and partners. This role combines my deep data expertise with frontend skills to create seamless user experiences.
I believe in building not just great products, but also strong communities and capable teams. My leadership extends beyond my formal role.
- Mentorship: I've mentored junior analysts on data infrastructure, guiding them to build accurate and insightful dashboards. I've also been a peer mentor at Kamilimu, empowering tech students in Kenyan universities.
- Startup Founder: Co-founding a grocery delivery startup taught me invaluable lessons in logistics, product-market fit, and the grit required to build a company from the ground up, achieving 90% on-time delivery through route optimization.
- Community Builder: I actively contribute to the tech ecosystem as a co-organizer for the Nairobi TensorFlow chapter, a contributor to Women in Machine Learning & Data Science, and by volunteering for organizations like Masakhane NLP and the Deep Learning Indaba.
I'm currently building Taarifu, an AI-powered data analytics platform for small businesses in Kenya. It's designed to democratize data by providing affordable, easy-to-use dashboards and an AI agent (using Ollama) that allows business owners to ask questions about their data in plain language.
| Data & Orchestration | Backend & APIs | Frontend & Visualization | Cloud & DevOps |
|---|---|---|---|
 Python |
 Flask |
 JavaScript |
 AWS |
 PostgreSQL |
 GraphQL |
 HTML5 & CSS3 |
 Docker |
 Airflow |
SQLAlchemy |
 Jinja |
CI/CD |
 Redshift |
Celery |
Highcharts.js |
Elastic Beanstalk |
Metabase |
Scikit-learn |
Streamlit |
Ollama |