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Speaking to Nancy Masila, it can be hard to tell who's interviewing whom. As soon as we get on the call, she wants to know how long I have been writing, why writing, what I think of life in general, am I a firstborn? She would also like to know why I think about what I think. I tell her, yes, I am a firstborn and promise to answer the rest of her questions during the summit launch of Jasiri Network. She remains unconvinced. I tell her I am a reporter on limited time, and she is the star here, really. She says fine, let's talk about Jasiri.
The Genesis of Jasiri
"They craved the connection, not the stories. Hence Jasiri Network was born."
Here's the story of Jasiri Network. Some people leave their home for a new country to make a life for themselves. They are bold—jasiris. Therefore, Jasiri Network is a cliché permitting home away from home for them.
Early Years and Education
Masila knows a little too about leaving home. She says she lived in Kitui before moving to Nairobi—Eastlands if we are being precise—before studying Econ at the University of Nairobi, class of 2016. "My dad passed away at 19, and so finances were a bit challenging. I applied to different graduate programs, got KPMG and PwC, but went with the latter."
Professional Journey
Career Milestones
🎓 Economics graduate, University of Nairobi (2016)
💻 IT Department, PwC
🌍 KPMG London (2019-2024)
🚀 Founder, Jasiri Network
She joined the Department of IT against three men, all of whom had an IT background vis a vis her economics one. She took a career break in 2019, before KPMG called, and in September 2019, she left for London where she stayed with them for five years. "I just recently left." She told us during our interview.
Building Community
She had no family or friends up there as, "it almost seemed easier to make friends with the African population." I saw the need to come together and connect. And I became the person whom when you want a get-together, you ask Nancy. Or if you like science, she became the electron that facilitates the covalent bond. If you like Math, she is the plus sign. If you like religion, where she goes, people go. "They craved the connection, not the stories. Hence Jasiri Network was born." Jasiri Network has a get-together every quarter, with its official launch in Kenya from 20th to 22nd December 2024.
How’s Jasiri’s uptake? By February we had already picked the interest of the Kenya High Commission in the UK and they requested me to put up a forum for young professionals. I also represented Kenya at the Young Professionals at Buckingham Palace. We have grown from 100 to about 2,000 members—purely word of mouth, no advertising.
What would you consider Jasiri’s star achievement so far? People getting the vision of what I am trying to do. Imagine people leaving their home to attend Jasiri event on a Saturday—that’s a big deal. But the Kenya High Commission call-up and the Buckingham Palace invite were heartwarming. I also got to speak at the London School of Economics during the Africa summit.
What is a unique insight that you have picked from Jasiri so far? A crop of young African diaspora that are tied to their country from abroad and are actively taking part in the economic and political state of the country. There is also a huge uptake of young Kenyans moving back home, at the peak of their careers, either to start businesses or new opportunities. More often than not, we think it is the older generation, and this is across the spectrum, be it people born here to African parents or those who came while young.
Is that your plan too? An ideal situation would be to have the best of both worlds. To select a base and get benefits from both countries would be perfect, come home when London is cold haha!
There is a generalisation thrown around, the best of the young brains are taken away to serve other countries in a case of brain drain. Is this part of Jasiri’s Network mission to redress? I think Kenya has a surplus of talented people with the economy unable to absorb it. Is it brain drain when there is an excess of it? The balance would be to take advantage of the diaspora experience and bring the knowledge back home, let them know what is available and what can be done. It is much more important to make informed decisions.
When you have your own black caucus or fraternity, there is a danger of groupthink. How are you ensuring Jasiri does not end up in an echo chamber? Yes, Jasiri is purely for African diaspora professionals because we are in these foreign countries and we do not have a community. That said, we do have allies, other people who are not necessarily Afro who are part of Jasiri through mentorship and resources. I have had many white mentors from different countries and I have been fortunate to be in environments with a diverse set of people. I do not seclude myself into Jasiri. We are trying to build a community for African diaspora professionals who are in most need of it.
What is the big dream for Jasiri? Jasiri started as a passion project. When I look into my crystal ball, I want Jasiri Network to be a home for African Diaspora professionals, where they are looking for a place to get useful information, connect and find new opportunities and transition to this new country, however their career takes them. I am also seeing first and second-generation Kenyans trying to be part of Jasiri, a way of reconnecting with their country. This is a home away from home.
Nancy seems like a high achiever. Where does her ambition stem from? Maybe it’s inborn. I am a firstborn. My mom is a teacher, my late dad was an accountant. A lot of my upbringing was expected of me, my mom was a teacher therefore I had to score straight As. My mom loves her job and gives so much to her students, and my dad was a philanthropist always giving to the community and paying fees—I grew up seeing there was more to life than just the self. Perhaps the communal aspect of my seven years in Kitui is where my life is right now.
Would you consider being the firstborn a burden or responsibility? Both. Moving through life when I was younger, I wasn’t conversant that I was a firstborn, I didn’t have that weighing on me when I was making my decisions. As an older person I recognize how being a firstborn affects my siblings—they take what I tell them very seriously. I have to be conscious of how they see me, and I have to be authentic and share my experiences so they too can learn. It’s not an expectation, but I can, so I am happy to do it.
What do you struggle with? Nobody has ever asked me that question before haha! I struggle with failure; I am not very good when it comes to losing. When I took a career break, I considered that a failure, which came after being burnt out several times. Till then, whatever I set my life to, I achieved it. Then I got the job I wanted, a promotion every year, and I got to a point where I couldn’t continue. That felt like failure. And I may not have taken it too well—there was a lot of crying and therapy [chuckles].
When you get to where you are going, where will you be? I will be contributing positively to society and the younger generation. Duncan [FINTAK Kenya Founder] doesn’t know me but he has given me this opportunity and being able to pay it forward, is what lights me up, positively to the world. This is me changing the world in my way.
If you could boil down everything you have learned into a single sentence, what would you say? Give it a try. You never know where the journey leads you. Don’t count yourself out before you are out. Try it first.
Are you smart or lucky? A little bit of both. I put in the work, and I work hard as opposed to how some are just brilliant. There is also luck—being at the right place at the right time and with the right people in the room.
What do you fear now? Failure isn’t as scary anymore. Maybe it is because of time or the things I have gone through. What I fear now is the passage of time and what that means. It means my mother is growing older, and there is less time with my siblings. My friends are in different seasons of their lives. Sometimes I am there, sometimes I am not. It is scary to see how things are changing.
What is a moment from your childhood that is a good representation of your life now? I was a head girl in primary school. Back then the teachers would pick the head girl, and it was a surprise to me when I was selected. I told her I was not interested, and she tried to convince me but I stood my ground. They told me the story of David and Goliath, but I stayed true to my word. I called in my parents—my mother agreed with me but then my father, said it was fine that I could be a head girl. He betrayed us! [chuckles]. I managed to figure things out eventually and I am still friends with some of the alumni. The man refused to follow the script and I guess that’s how I turned out to be. They say fathers raise their firstborn daughters as their sons. You just have to figure things out on the go.
What will the School Captain tell the CEO now? She would be so proud. Girl, we made it! She might also say I have become a bit soft; I was quite intense back then haha!
Softer but smarter? Perhaps haha!
Jasiri Network Achievements
📈 Growth from 100 to 2,000+ members
🇰🇪 Kenya High Commission Forum
👑 Buckingham Palace Young Professionals Event
🎓 London School of Economics Africa Summit
🤝 Quarterly Gatherings
🚀 Kenya Launch (December 2025: 20-22)
Looking Forward
The future of Jasiri Network stands at a crossroad. With its growing membership and expanding influence, the organization seeks to become a crucial bridge between African professionals abroad and opportunities back home. Jasiri Network #KenyaEdition is its initiative to demonstrate how diaspora professionals can maintain strong connections with their roots while building successful careers abroad._
FINTAK is a leading financial technology organization that has recognized Jasiri Network's potential for creating meaningful connections between professionals in the diaspora and opportunities in Kenya.
by : Eddy Ashioya