Sitati: Man behind mechanism that mobilised over Sh83bn private capital for SMEs in Kenya, East Africa

Moses Sitati was recently appointed Eastrise Group Country Director for Kenya. Eastrise is a strategyand insights firm dedicated to bridging Africa and Europe by shaping business models,driving capital flows and building transformative partnerships.

The Star spoke to Sitati who has two decades of experience spanning giants like USAID, Microsoft, Noki, the United Nationsand Kenya’s Ministry of Planning and National Development, on the investment climate and his plans for the country and region.

Who is Moses Sitati? Where was he born, where did he go to school?

I am, as they say, “Nairobi-born” born at Nairobi Hospital as a middle child from amiddle-class Kenyan family and very much a child of the ’80s and ’90s. I have watchedour city evolve from adjusting the TV aerial for a single channel to endless streamingoptions, from buying mint sweets with a 10-cent coin to asking a cashier for an MpesaSTK push, and from punching keys on my mom’s typewriter—where I first learned totype—to swiping letters on my smartphone.

I grew up in South B, then at the city’sedge, walking daily to Our Lady of Mercy Primary and later attending St. Mary’s SchoolNairobi. Holidays were often spent working on our family farm in Kitale. For university, Istudied abroad in Canada and the US, then returned home immediately after. Lookingback, I see my life shaped by this “middle vantage point”—between analogue anddigital, urban and rural, rich and poor, old and young, Africa and the wider world.

How has your career journey been?

Twenty years have flown by and the “middle” theme continues to define my path. I haveworked across the government (Ministry of Planning and National Development), theUnited Nations (UNDP, UNOCHA), international development (USAID) and thecorporate sector (Microsoft, Nokia, Eastrise). In every role, I have been drawn to theopportunities that lie across the fence—asking what more is possible if sectors workedtogether. Today, I see myself as a partnerships specialist, focused on fosteringcollaboration that bridges these worlds.

What shaped the leader you are today?

Several experiences have shaped the leader I am today. My parents’ influence,especially the years working on our family farm taught me the fulfilment of a hard day’swork and the value of working together. Later, my first boss at Nokia Research Centreleft a lasting mark on how I view leadership. The openness and flat structures Iobserved in Finnish society where participation and recognition are equal stood in starkcontrast to the hierarchical systems we have inherited through colonial legacies andeducation. That contrast continues to inform how I lead and what I expect fromleadership.

What would you say are some of your biggest achievements?

I am proud of the impact I have contributed to across different stages of my career. AtNokia, I helped negotiate and establish several innovation labs—m:lab Nairobi, C4DLab at the University of Nairobi, and the ICT4D Lab at the University of CapeTown—that laid important foundations for the tech-startup boom we see in Africa today.At the UN, I supported the creation of communities that used technology to scale impactat the Humanitarian Open Data Lab at UNOCHA. Later, at USAID, I helped design andmanage the Kenya Investment Mechanism, which mobilised over $650 million (Sh 83billion) in private capital for SMEs across East Africa.

Which is that one challenge you faced that tested your leadership style and how did you solve it?

Collaboration by nature requires patience and time, a resource that is increasinglyscarce today. At Nokia Research Centre, while we once worked with research horizonsof up to seven years, we suddenly had to compress development windows down to sixmonths when the company faced economic headwinds. At USAID, we often spoke of“working ourselves out of a job,” especially when debates about reducing foreignassistance intensified nearly a decade ago. The challenge of doing more with less hasbecome a constant in today’s workplace.

It is not a problem that is ever fully solved, butit has pushed me to stretch my leadership through different partnership models co-creating solutions, pooling resources and leveraging technology to accelerate deliverywithout compromising quality. It taught me that effective leadership in times of constraintmeans being adaptable, transparent with teams and partners, and focused on buildingtrust so that everyone is willing to carry the load together.

You were recently appointed Eastrise Group Country Director for Kenya. Whatdoes this mean and what does the organisation do?

I amleading our operations, strategyand partnerships in the region. Eastrise is a strategyand insights firm dedicated to bridging Africa and Europe by shaping business models,driving capital flows and building transformative partnerships. From investmentreadiness and market intelligence to ecosystem design and communications strategy,we help businesses and investors unlock opportunities across emerging markets. Weleverage our offices in Nairobi, Londonand Warsaw in different ways: Nairobi toengage with African innovation ecosystens, London to connect with global investmentand philanthropic capital and Warsaw to tap into the insights of Central and EasternEurope’s model of economic transformation and resilience.

What is your plan for Kenya and the region?

My plan forKenya and the regionis twofold. On one level, I want to strengthen business-to-business partnerships by creating an “innovation bridge” that channels ideas, capitaland opportunities between our two regions. On a deeper level, I believe lasting impactcomes from cultural understanding. That means expanding conversations throughcreative and digital media, the arts, exchange programmesand platforms that showcasethe richness each side has to offer.

What is the biggest challenge African countries, including Kenya, face inunlocking project funding?

One of the biggest challenges is the unfair risk premium that Africa faces compared toother regions. I particularly like how Hanan Morsy, Deputy Chief Economist at the UNEconomic Commission for Africa, recently framed it, that Africa holds the world’sgreatest potential for renewable energy yet attracts only about two per cent of global cleanenergy investment. This gap exists because the continent is still viewed through a lensof both real and perceived risks. The result is that capital is deterred, growth is slowedand poverty cycles remain entrenched, despite Africa’s vast opportunities.

How can this be addressed?

Addressing this challenge begins with reframing the African opportunity, becauseperception directly influences where capital flows. We must move beyond outdatednarratives of risk and dependency to one of competitiveness and innovation. AtEastrise, we are helping to shift that narrative by helping organisations and businessescreate new solutions and build new partnerships. We must also generate actionableinvestment data across high-growth sectors giving investors a clearer view of Africa notas a cause, but as a fair, competitiveand investable market.

What trends are you currently most excited about in capital funding or venture investing?

One of the most exciting trends is the rise of local capital and blended finance modelsthat combine commercial and development objectives. As traditional aid flows evolve,we are seeing new partnerships between private investors, DFIs, and regional institutionsthat share both risk and reward. This shift toward locally anchored, partnership-basedinvestment is creating a new playbook for Africa’s growth, one that values sustainability,innovation and local ownership. At Eastrise, that is exactly where we focus: designingmodels that make impact commercially viable.

How do you see the capital funding landscape evolving in the next five years?

Across Kenya and the wider East African region, we are seeing a quiet transformation ininvestment culture. While real estate has long dominated, investors are now recognisingthe potential of SMEs and tech-driven ventures as engines of long-term growth.Entrepreneur support organisations are helping micro ventures formalise, scale andaccess structured capital. At the same time, a new generation, many with startup ordiaspora experience, is diversifying beyond land and government bonds.

What’s particularly exciting is how Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) can act as atransition partner in this process. CEE markets have undergone their own rapidtransformation from development dependence to private investment-led growth, and thelessons from that journey - around institutional development, SME financingandregional integration-are directly relevant to Africa today. Over the next five years, weexpect stronger cross-learning and collaboration between these two regions, building amore resilient, self-sustaining investment ecosystem.

How do you weigh traction vs. potential when evaluating early-stage projects?

Different actors play different roles along the growth cycle of a project. From my time atUSAID, I saw how concessional or grant capital can de-risk opportunities andincentivize entry into underserved sectors. That said, while everything can lookimpressive on paper or in a polished pitch deck, what truly matters is evidence of valuecreation, that is whether a company is solving a real problem that customers are willing topay for, ideally at a margin. Equally important is ensuring alignment of values andinterests between project promoters and investors, so expectations are realistic andwell-served at every stage.

What are your key criteria for making an investment decision?

Beyond thebasics—strong teams, market validation and value creation—I look for linkages thatconnect East Africa and CEE. This could be through the source of capital or technology,joint ventures, supply chain integration, or access to new markets. Projects that areembedded in this corridor tend to be more resilient and offer stronger long-term growth.

How do you decide how much capital to allocate to each investment?

While Eastrise Investments is not yet a fund manager, our value lies in enabling smarterallocation decisions. We provide market intelligence, due diligenceand sector insightsthat help fund managers deploy capital effectively. Our approach is data-driven andcontext-aware, helping investors understand not only what and where to invest, but alsowhy now. In that sense, we serve as bridge-builders between global capital and localopportunity.

How do you manage risk across your portfolio?

As we build toward establishing a portfolio under Eastrise Investments, our currentfocus in risk management is on partnership development. The wrong partner or onenot serious about investment can be costly in both time and resources. That is why weemphasise deeper due diligence when sourcing and onboarding partners, ensuringalignment from the outset to reduce risk and create stronger, more reliablecollaborations.

How has your approach to capital deployment changed during volatilemarkets?

Volatile markets tend to amplify both risk and opportunity. At Eastrise, our role is to helpbusinesses, investorsand development organisations make sense of that uncertainty,not by predicting volatility, but by preparing for it. We support our clients in stress-testingtheir investment strategies, identifying resilient sectors and designing partnershipmodels that spread risk without diluting impact.

Increasingly, this means helping themdiversify across regions, for example, linking European capital with African growthopportunities or vice versa, to balance exposure and unlock new markets. Our focus ison long-term resilience: helping our partners deploy capital in ways that remain steadyeven when the world isn’t.

What red flags make you walk away from a potential investment? Even if the metrics look great?

Even when the challenge is interesting and the numbers look strong, misalignment onvalues or long-term sustainability is always a red flag. At Eastrise, we are building ourinvestment philosophy around B Corp principles and the UN Sustainable DevelopmentGoals, meaning we look for integrity, transparency and models that create lastingvalue.

Across Africa, we see many businesses driven by purpose, tackling social orenvironmental challenges through innovative products and services. But often, theseenterprises operate within ecosystems that don’t yet provide the patient capital,infrastructure or policy support needed to make their impact commercially sustainable.Our role is to help bridge that gap. We work with founders and investors to strengthenthe underlying business model so that good ideas can attract long-term funding andscale responsibly.

What do you do to unwind?

Having grown up working on a farm, I believe the bond with nature never really leavesyou. I often unwind through outdoor activities such as self-driven game drives,gardening (there is always room for one more plant!), long hikes or nature photography.And as a lover of manual cars, few things are as rewarding as a long drive or a goodroad trip with scenic views.

Best advice you ever received?

Success is never finaland failure is never fatal.

What advice would you give to someone looking to enter your field?

It is a challenging time to enter the field of international cooperation, given the globaldecline of trust across people and groups. Yet it is also a profoundly important momentto pursue the noble goal of building bridges between people, placeand organisations.The world needs more connectors listeners. My advice? Get out there, meet people,ask why and stay curious about how the world really works. The best partnerships are oftenin unexpected places.