You’ve heard about Silicon Valley — the northern California region home to some of the world’s most influential tech companies — but what about the “Silicon Savannah?” Nairobi, the bustling capital of Kenya, has experienced rapid growth in the tech industry, becoming Africa’s 21st-century technological hub. And in this highly competitive, fast-moving landscape, one Haggai leader is making a difference that goes far beyond the bottom line.

Mary Joy Kimani has worked as  a manager with a  Fortune 500 technology company for more than a decade. In her role, she connects companies around the world with technological systems and products. But her drive, ambition, and commitment to excellence come from a deeper place. A believer since childhood, Mary Joy’s faith undergirds everything she does and led her to her current role. Clearly, her faith walk demonstrates that she is different from her peers in the workplace. She recalls, “Someone I’d previously worked with reached out, not to ask about my management style, but, ‘Are you still involved in church?’ That’s when I knew God was up to something.”

When she first joined the company, she was told she had been hired as an “evangelist” for the company, not a typical job title in tech, but one she identified/resonated with given the urgency and passion with which she shares her faith, both in the marketplace and in ministry to teens and young adults. Through her work with the Christian Unions, Mary Joy visits high schools in and beyond Nairobi, sharing the gospel with hundreds of teens. She often sees 15 to 50 students respond to Christ in a single visit.

Reflecting on her calling to work with youth, she shares, “My driving force is urgency … Even I, an optimistic person, see these are days in deep need of restoration. We must number our days.” In a nation where more than 80% of the population is under 35, Mary Joy’s question is always: “What legacy am I leaving them?”

In 2021, during the height of the global pandemic, Mary Joy participated in the Haggai Leader Experience, calling it transformational. It wasn’t just another training/empowerment, it gave her a bigger vision. Through Haggai, she found the tools to contextualize the gospel not only in her ministry work but also within the context of her profession. “I became increasingly conscious that I carry the presence of God with me. As a Kingdom Ambassador, there should be transformation wherever I go.”

The impact is real. She sees colleagues pausing before unethical decisions, others rethinking how they treat their families, and students asking question after question. “This is the power of God at work through me. And I know God is working through those who support this mission. You may not step into my office, but your fingerprints are there.”

Written by Janay Cyphers