In our ongoing series on Women who have made in tech, we had a word with Stella Kinja a MPESA Business Analyst at Safaricom. Stella describes herself as your go-to IT business analyst with a flair for turning ideas into cutting-edge solutions.
Growing up Muine, a small village in Meru County Stella Kinja didn’t always want to be in tech. As a matter of fact, since she was 5 years old, she had always wanted to be a doctor. This was after she witnessed an old neighbor being carried to the car so that he could be taken to the hospital. At that point in time, she thought to herself that if she was a doctor, she would have been able to quickly diagnose and treat him to make him feel better. At school, she started working hard towards her dream of becoming a doctor which she eventually upgraded to a neurosurgeon after reading “Think Big” by Ben Carson.
Stella’s hard work paid off in that she managed to pass KCSE with flying colours but by this time she had started developing a hemophobia which is essentially the fear of the sight of blood. This meant that she could not be able to pursue her dream career because to be a doctor, one has to be able to withstand the sight of blood. This meant that she had no other option but to look for another course. It was at this time that her brother suggested Computer Science which was a course that would enable her to work anywhere she wanted including hospitals. And that ladies and gentlemen is how she ended up falling in love with Computer Science.
After finishing her studies at university, Stella Kinja got an internship position at the Safaricom in the Network Assurance department. During which she came to enjoy analyzing the network and reporting on the improvement areas required. She was enjoying her time at the telco so much that the 3 months internship period flew by very fast. By this time, she had developed a passion for analysis and luckily one of her managers who saw her hard work recommended her for her first job as a business analyst at Zanifu Ltd. She came back to Safaricom in 2022 where she says that she has an amazing time everyday at work analysing systems and processes and improving them to better customer experience.
Stella’s career highlight so far has been leading the team that delivered the 1st NB-IOT technology solution in East Africa. They were able to cut the client’s operating expenses by 68% within the first 6 months. In M-PESA, she is contributing to the implementation of a diverse array of M-Pesa products, from pioneering IMT solutions, e-commerce products. She is also working on an eagerly anticipated investment product which is a first of its kind that is slated for launch soon.
As a woman in tech, she has had to deal with imposter syndrome which according to her is the biggest challenge she has faced in her career. She has however learned how to overcome with support from mentors. So that nowadays whenever self-doubt kicks in, she is kind to herself by remembering all the great achievements that she has made. Thereafter, she writes a plan on how to achieve her next goal with clear milestones. This serves as a great pick me up for her as she goes through such moments.
According to Stella Kinja, there is need for more women in tech because women bring a different perspective to problem solving and user centered designs/ journeys. Being that women are natural nurturer’s, they show compassion and empathy which leads to people feeling heard & belonging to the different areas.
On matters diversity, Stella believes that the tech industry is doing a good job in pioneering diversity and inclusion while introducing policies and initiatives to address the various forms of underrepresentation. Some of these policies include flexible working hours, mentorship programs among others. Programs such as Safaricom Women in Tech exist to encourage women to pursue education and later careers in STEM. The impact of this is a double-digit growth in the number of women who are now pursuing careers in STEM.
She also shared that there is need for more educational initiatives that not only encourage women to pursue tech but also guide and support women in entering and advancing in the industry. As well as collaborations between the various initiatives to create networking opportunities and forums that allow these women to connect to peers and share experiences hence building supportive professional networks. Not to mention the need to ensure equal opportunities for career advancements, promotions and leadership opportunities.
Stella believes that one of the keys to success is having good mentors. As a matter of fact, she got her first job due to a referral by one of my mentors, a job that shaped her career journey. Her mentors were at hand to support her through having a family, especially getting a work and life balance. She makes it a point to meet with her each of her mentors often where they share some of their experiences, mistakes and lessons which actually help her while navigating life. She describes having a mentor as sort of a guardrail that ensures that you do not fall off a cliff. Being able to see one of her mentors rise up in leadership has acted as an inspiration to keep pushing for excellence in her career.
Her advice for women who are interested in pursuing tech is that it is doable. Marie curie was the first person (not woman but person) to win a double Nobel Peace Prize in Physics and Chemistry in 1903. If this happened without internet, imagine what great feat you can achieve in this current age. Go ye and conquer, the world is your oyster!