Tala confirms Annstella Mumbi as general manager for Kenya

Fintech credit provider Tala has named Annstella Mumbi, as its new general manager for the Kenya unit after serving in the same position on an interim basis since May.

Ms Mumbi is an insider at Tala, having served the digital lender in different capacities since joining in November 2020 as the country growth manager for the Kenya unit.

She is taking the position of Munyi Nthiga who left in May. Mr Nthiga is now the secretary general of the Association of Fintechs in Kenya and also a board member at Tusenti—a payment service provider

“Over the past three years at Tala, Mumbi has shown tremendous leadership, expanded her scope multiple times and most recently served as our interim general manager,” said Jori Pearsall, chief business officer at Tala.

Ms Mumbi is a business executive with nearly a decade of experience in multiple roles in strategy, growth, expansion and overall business leadership across different companies such as Unilever, Operation Groundswell, ImpactAfrica, Network, Moringa School, Microtraction and Ralicap.

“She is able to bring the Kenya leadership team together and rally Tala around a bold vision for Kenya’s next phase of growth.”

Ms Mumbi holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechatronics Engineering from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.

Waiting in her in-tray is steering the company into a full-service financial services provider over the next year.

Ms Mumbi will lead a team of over 130 employees in bringing together new technology, partnerships and ways of operating to drive the business forward.

She has worked in various markets such as Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda.

Tala had by the end of last year loaned out a cumulative $1.9 billion (Sh285.2 billion) to Kenyans in over 3.5 million disbursements since it started operations in the country in 2014.

The firm said in its 2022 impact performance report that it had attained an average of 90 percent repayment rate from its customers terming it a huge success.

During the eight years, Tala accorded up to Sh2.6 billion worth of waivers to hardship-stricken borrowers, a significant chunk of which was extended during the Covid-19 pandemic.

→ (email protected)