Webmasters Kenya founder and CEO James Ayugi has earned recognition in the 2026 edition of Forbes Africa, as the Kenyan technology company expands its footprint with the launch of WasaaChat, a locally developed platform bringing together messaging, digital payments and creator monetisation tools.
The company was featured in Forbes Africa as part of its Kenya-focused coverage, highlighting its role in the development of Kenya’s eCitizen platform and its wider ambitions in Africa’s growing digital economy.
From eCitizen to a Wider Digital Ecosystem
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Webmasters Kenya has been associated with the development of eCitizen, the government’s digital services platform that has brought thousands of public services online. According to the company, more than 22,000 government services have been digitised through the platform, including services such as passport applications and tax payments.
Ayugi has described the company’s journey as one that has taken it beyond building government systems and towards creating technology that can support businesses and ordinary citizens.
The company introduced a venture-builder model in 2024, which it says now supports more than 50 ventures and has helped facilitate over $2 million in investment.
WasaaChat Targets Creators and Entrepreneurs
The latest development is WasaaChat, a Made-in-Kenya platform designed to bring several digital functions under one roof.
The platform targets creators, entrepreneurs and small businesses, offering tools intended to help users communicate with their audiences, facilitate digital payments and monetise their communities and services.
WasaaChat is positioned as part of Webmasters Kenya’s push into the creator economy, at a time when more Kenyans are turning social media, digital services and online communities into sources of income.
Ayugi said the company wants to provide tools that allow citizens to automate their small businesses and the services they offer.
A New Chapter for Kenyan Technology
The Forbes Africa recognition comes as Webmasters Kenya seeks to demonstrate that locally built technology can serve not only government institutions but also the wider economy.
With WasaaChat, the company is now looking to connect communication, commerce and digital entrepreneurship on a single Kenyan-built platform.
The launch further places Ayugi and Webmasters Kenya among local technology players attempting to shape the next phase of Africa’s digital economy, while creating platforms designed around the needs of African users.
