Job Title: head of finance
Company: Watu Credit
Steve Onyango is the head of finance at Watu Credit.
He began his career as a senior associate at PwC. He then transitioned to Coca Cola, where he served as finance manager, introduing controls that reduced fraudulent losses and cut transport costs.
Steve joined Airtel Kenya in 2012, playing a key role in financial standardisation and governance. After a four-year stint, he joined NewGlobe as finance director for East Africa, where he established a shared service center that supported operations across Africa, Europe, and America.
As group CFO at Silafrica, he oversaw finance and ICT functions across six countries before taking on the position of vice president, finance at e-commerce startup Sendy in 2022.
He is the treasurer of the Electric Mobility Association of Kenya (EMAK) and an advisory board member at Smarter Mobility Africa.
Steve holds an undergraduate degree in economics and an executive MBA from Strathmore Business School. In addition to being a certified public acountant (CPA-K) and a member of ICPAK and NBAA (Tanzania), he is also a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA).
Work experience
May 2023 - Present: head of finance, Watu Credit
Dec 2023 - Present: treasurer and member of governing council, EMAK
Feb 2025 - Present: advisory board member, Smarter Mobility Africa
Aug 2022 - Apr 2023: vice president, finance, Sendy
Feb 2019 - Jul 2022: group CFO, Silafrica
Jul 2016 - Jan 2019: finance director, East Africa, NewGlobe
Mar 2012 - Jun 2016: head of finance, Airtel
Aug 2009 - Feb 2012: finance manager, Coca Cola Beverages Africa in Kenya
Aug 2005 - Jul 2009: senior associate, PwC
Education
Oct 2022: Executive MBA, Pan-African module, IESE Business School
Jan 2021 - Jun 2023: Executive MBA, Strathmore Business School (SBS)
Jun 2009 - Dec 2009: Certified Information Systems Auditor, Strathmore University
Jun 2003 - Jun 2006: Certified Public Accountant, Vision Institute of Professionals
Sep 1999 - Dec 2004: Bachelor of Economics, Egerton University
Watu Credit
Watu is a Kenyan fintech company that specialises in asset financing. The organisation, which was established in Mombasa in 2015, provides financing for electric vehicles and mobile phones, with an increasing focus on e-mobility.
