The traditional engagement of President William Ruto’s daughter, Charlene Ruto, to Tanzanian technology entrepreneur Isaya Yunge has brought renewed attention to the man whose career has largely revolved around technology, entrepreneurship and initiatives aimed at creating opportunities for young Africans.
Yunge, who was at the centre of the recent Koito ceremony with Charlene, is the co-founder and chief executive of SomaApps Technologies, a company associated with SomaApp, a digital platform designed to connect students with scholarship opportunities.
His journey in technology is rooted in a desire to use digital innovation to address challenges facing young people. One of the problems he sought to tackle was the difficulty many students face in finding scholarship opportunities.
Through SomaApp, scholarship opportunities from different sources are brought together in one platform, allowing students to discover programmes and identify opportunities that could match their academic profiles.
However, Yunge’s interests in technology extend well beyond education.
He is also associated with KAYA, an artificial intelligence-powered smart speaker designed to gather and process Africa-related information. Another of his ventures is Somafit, a smartwatch developed with health-monitoring capabilities, including the ability to track indicators such as blood pressure and heart rate.
His broader vision has been to encourage the use of mobile technology, artificial intelligence and Internet of Things solutions to address challenges and create new opportunities in Tanzania and other parts of Africa.
Yunge’s academic background has also taken him outside Tanzania. He studied at the Institute of Finance Management and later pursued studies at the University of Cambridge. His professional development has included training by the Swedish Institute on sustainable business models, as well as studies focused on leading change at Cambridge.
Long before becoming known for his technology ventures, Yunge had already developed a strong interest in youth leadership.
In 2006, he was elected chairperson of the Junior Council of the United Republic of Tanzania, giving him an early platform to represent young people.
His involvement in youth advocacy later extended to international forums. He was selected as a UNICEF Africa Youth Ambassador and represented young people at international gatherings, including a G8 Summit in Berlin.
His work in technology subsequently earned him several high-profile honours.
In 2017, his startup emerged as the winner of the GSMA Mobile Money Africa Hackathon’s best startup award. The recognition was followed by his inclusion in Forbes Africa’s 30 Under 30 list, which highlights young entrepreneurs and influential figures across the continent.
A year later, Yunge received the Queen’s Young Leaders Award from the late Queen Elizabeth II. The award recognised his efforts to use technology to develop sustainable solutions and contribute to community development.
In 2019, he was also listed among Tanzania’s 50 most influential young people.
Despite the impressive list of achievements, Yunge’s early life was far removed from the world of technology, international awards and high-profile events.
He was raised by his grandmother and experienced a modest childhood in which he helped with everyday rural activities. Among his responsibilities were herding goats and cattle and working around rice farms.
That background has become an important part of the story behind the entrepreneur he would later become — one who has built his career around using technology and innovation to expand opportunities for young people across Africa.
With his relationship with Charlene Ruto now attracting considerable public attention, Yunge is increasingly being introduced to a wider Kenyan audience not only as the man engaged to the President’s daughter, but also as a Tanzanian entrepreneur with a long record of involvement in technology, youth leadership and social innovation.
