Riua, a software engineering and cybersecurity consultancy in Nairobi, Kenya
RiuaSoftware engineering. Cybersecurity. Built in Kenya.
Built well.Kept secure.
Software engineering and cybersecurity, from Nairobi. We build secure systems for your business and keep them running.
Nairobi, Kenya · East Africa Time
Scroll · one day in Nairobi
Selected projects · Built by Riua
A few things we’ve built.
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01 Doria Security · Developer tools Package security for developers and startup engineering teams. 
02 Uwatu Agriculture · Telecoms Livestock monitoring and phone alerts for smallholder farmers. 
03 iKlippa Media · AI Browser-based video editing for independent creators and students. - 04 Limi Education · Accessibility Accessible, multilingual learning for schools and workplace training.
05 AfyaAI Health · AI Conversation and daily check-ins for people managing their wellbeing.
05:45 · Alfajiri · before sunrise
East Africa is about to build a lot of software.
Someone has to build it well, and someone has to keep it safe. We think that should be the same people, here, who know how it'll actually be used.
That's why we started Riua. We're starting with Kenya and East Africa, and the rest of the continent comes after.
- 01KenyaWhere we start.
- 02East AfricaNext.
- 03AfricaAfter that.
Sunrise in Nairobi today: 06:16
07:00 · Asubuhi · morning
What we do.
You bring us a problem and we figure out what you actually need. Then we build it, and we look after it once it's live. We don't hand over the code and disappear.
Assess Before you build
Free assessment
Not sure what you need? Start here.
We write up what's working, what's risky and what we'd do first. It's free, and the report is yours either way.
Request oneAdvisory
A second opinion before you spend the money.
Security review
See DoriaWe find the holes before someone else does.
Build Design and engineering
Run After launch
Support and maintenance
If it breaks, the people who built it fix it.
Cloud and hosting
Know what's running, and what it's costing you.
Security upkeep
When a global security flaw is announced, we check your systems the same day, tell you if it affects you, and fix what matters first.
09:00 · Saa tatu asubuhi
Who we work with.
Big institutions where downtime isn't an option, and smaller businesses that just need things to work.
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- M-Pesa
- Core banking
- Credit bureaus
- Regulator reporting
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- M-Pesa
- SMS and USSD
- Policy systems
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- Network APIs
- Billing and CRM
- Messaging gateways
- See Uwatu →
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- eCitizen
- KRA iTax and eTIMS
- IPRS
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- M-Pesa
- SMS
- Donor reporting
- See Limi →
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- M-Pesa
- KRA eTIMS
- Accounting
10:30 · Asubuhi · usalama, security
Most breaches start somewhere nobody was looking.
Mwanga huonyesha kilichofichwa. Light shows what's hiding.
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SIM-swap fraud
We check how your system confirms it's really your customer before money moves.
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Mobile money and USSD fraud
We test your payment and USSD flows the way a fraudster would, then close the gaps.
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Poisoned software packages
We stop malicious code before it gets into your systems. See Doria
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Data Protection Act and CBK requirements
We show you where you stand against Kenya's data protection law and CBK cybersecurity guidance, in writing, with a plan to close the gaps.
When a major security flaw hits the news, we check your systems the same day and tell you whether it affects you.
Start with a free assessment12:20 · Adhuhuri · solar noon
Systems you can stand on.
Mifumo ya kutegemewa.
Banks, SACCOs, telcos and government offices can't afford software that goes down. That's the kind we build. We test it properly, secure it from the start and keep an eye on it once it's live.
At noon in Nairobi the sun is almost directly overhead, so your shadow nearly disappears.
12:20 · Kazi · the work
Proof of work.
Riua is new, so there's no client list yet. Instead, here's work you can look at properly: what each system had to deal with, and why we built it the way we did.
- 01Doria Stops malicious software packages at install time Security · 1st, ITWeb Security Summit Hackathon 2026
- 02Uwatu Livestock protection over the cellular network, alerts to any phone Agriculture, telecoms · Go, telco APIs, USSD
- 03iKlippa Video editing in the browser, built for modest hardware Media, AI · Rust to WebAssembly, 391 tests
- 04Limi Lessons in your language, read aloud or signed, even offline Education · languages, sign language, offline
- 05AfyaAI A conversational health companion with daily check-ins Health · AI
13:10 · Mchana · afternoon
How we work.
The same four steps on every project.
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01Elewa
Understand the problem.
We talk to the people who'll actually use the system and figure out what you really need. Sometimes it's less than you thought.
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02Kubaliana
Agree the scope and price.
Before we start, you get the scope, the price and the timeline in writing, in plain English, so there are no surprises later.
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03Jenga
Build where you can see it.
You'll see working software early and often, with regular demos along the way, so launch day isn't a big reveal.
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04Dumisha
Stay after launch.
We keep it running, fix what breaks and keep improving it for as long as you need us.
15:20 · Alasiri · mwanzilishi, founder
Elvis Chege.
Founder · Systems and security engineer
Elvis was born in Kenya and grew up in South Africa, where he won three of the country's biggest tech competitions in a single year. Now he's back home, building Riua.
His work is the kind on this page: Doria stops malicious software before it installs, and Uwatu sends livestock alerts to any phone over the cellular network, smartphone or not.
Track record
- 1stITWeb Security Summit Hackathon 2026South Africa's national security hackathon, run by the tech publisher ITWeb. National champions, out of 850+ participants.South Africa
- 1stGeekulcha Annual Hackathon 2026The annual hackathon of Geekulcha, a South African youth tech community. Overall winner.South Africa
- 1stEntelect University Cup 2026A university competition in optimisation and programming, run by the South African software firm Entelect.South Africa
- 1stMjanga AI HackathonA pan-African AI challenge.Pan-African
He came back because he knows East Africa is the next growth frontier, and he wants to build the software it runs on.
16:40 · Jioni · maswali, questions
Questions people ask.
Something we missed? Email info@riua.africa
What do we actually get?
Working software that does the job you hired us for. Before we start, we agree in writing what "done" means, so we both know when we've got there.
What is in the free assessment?
We talk to your team, look at your system or idea, and send you a written report on what's working, what's risky and what we'd do first. You don't have to work with us afterwards.
What happens when a big security flaw hits the news?
If you're on a monthly support plan, we check your systems the same day and send you a plain-English brief: whether you're affected, and what gets fixed first. If you're not, you can ask for the same check through the free assessment.
How can we work together?
Whatever suits you: a free assessment, a fixed-price project, a monthly support plan, advisory work, or our engineers joining your team. If you're not sure, start with the assessment.
How do you price work?
Projects get a fixed price, agreed in writing before we start. Support, advisory and team extension are billed monthly.
How long does a project take?
It depends on what we're building. You'll get a timeline along with the price before we start, and regular demos so you can see how it's going.
Can you take over a project someone else started?
Yes. Start with a free assessment and we'll tell you honestly what shape it's in and what it'd take to finish or fix it.
What happens after launch?
Up to you. We can keep running it on a support plan, or hand it over to your team with proper documentation. Once it's paid for, everything we built is yours, so you're never stuck with us. The details are in our terms.
Will you sign an NDA?
Yes. Send it over before you share anything sensitive and we'll sign it.
Do you use AI?
Yes, where it helps. A person reviews every change before it ships, and we never put your confidential data into tools that train on it.
How do you handle our data?
We only use it to do the work, only the people who need it get access, and we follow Kenya's Data Protection Act, 2019. Our privacy notice covers this website.
Where do you work?
We're based in Nairobi and work across Kenya and East Africa, in person or remotely.
18:23 · Machweo · sunset
Tuanze.
Let's start.
Tell us what's broken or what you want to build. We'll tell you honestly what it'll take, even if the answer is that you don't need us.
Want to send files, a voice note or a full brief? Use the detailed form