Our team
Sawa Energy and its partners have experience building solar systems, with over 90 deployments already operational. We have also completed 13MW of energy projects within East Africa.
Samuel Kaufman
Cofounder and CEO
Samuel Kaufman, cofounder and CEO of Sawa Energy, has worked in renewable energy in East Africa since 2020. He is the former Chief Investment Officer of East African Power, and supported over $30M raised for Sub Saharan Africa energy initiatives. He spent 3 years in venture capital firms with $330M and $1B under management where he managed the back office and supported fundraising. Sam is a CPA with a background in finance and accounting.
Jordan Zipkin
Cofounder and CIO
Jordan Zipkin, cofounder and CIO of Sawa Energy, has been involved in renewable energy in East Africa since 2019. He has strong experience within both entrepreneurship and investing, having built 5 successful companies, including scaling a healthcare company from 30 employees to 200 before selling the firm. He has 7 years of experience in private equity, venture capital, and angel investing in deep tech and climate tech initiatives, investing >$50M.
Edwin Oloo
Technical Lead
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Edwin is the Technical Lead at Sawa Energy. He has 8 years of experience as a professional in the Solar industry. He has been involved in development and construction of >15MW of PV and 8MWh BESS projects in East Africa. He was previously Technical Manager for the solar developer DPA, overseeing their technical operations while deploying >5MW of PV projects. Prior, he was the Technical Lead for OFGEN, a leading Kenyan EPC, where he led the construction of >10MW of solar projects for over 15 clients. Edwin holds a BSc. degree in Electrical & Electronic Engineering and is a registered Graduate Engineer and Solar T3 Technician in Kenya.
Chiedza Mutseta
Head of Finance and Administration
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Chiedza is Head of Finance and Administration for Sawa Energy. She is a seasoned Chartered Accountant with over a decade of experience. She has prior experience as Head of Africa Finance Operations at Bboxx, a company providing energy and other value added services. As Head of Africa Finance Operations at Bboxx, Chiedza demonstrated her leadership prowess by overseeing finance operations across multiple countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to her role at Bboxx, Chiedza worked at KPMG New Zealand and PwC, where she specialized in financial risk management, external audit, and transaction services. She has a BSc and a Post Grad Degree in Accounting from UNISA.
Eder Munyampenda
Rwanda Country Manager
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Eder is the Country Manager at Sawa Energy. He is a seasoned engineer with experience in design and project supervision in large construction and engineering projects across Rwanda. He speaks fluent English, French, and Kinyarwanda and understands how to tap into his networks to generate key contacts. Eder utilizes these skills regularly at Sawa, as he manages new leads and supports project management. He grew up between Rwanda and Canada and completed his studies in New York City, Abu Dhabi, and London. Eder holds a BSc. in mechanical engineering, a Masters in renewable energy engineering, and is a member of the Africa Fellowship for Young Energy Leaders.
Allan Okello
Uganda Country Manager
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Allan is the Country Manager at Sawa Energy. He is a business development professional with a background in the Ugandan solar industry, the tech-enabled travel sector, and most recently at Tukole. As general manager at Tukole, Allan led all elements of the facilities maintenance platform and blue-collar labor marketplace. Allan previously led BD efforts at Village Power Uganda, a leading last-mile solar home system provider in Uganda. He has experience delivering projects with at-risk populations, in refugee settings, in rural and urban areas as well as with schools and last-mile communities. Allan has also worked closely with UNICEF Zimbabwe and was previously a Board Member of the Uganda Solar Energy Association (USEA).
Elsa Izere
Senior Investment Manager
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Elsa is the Senior Investment Manager at Sawa Energy. She is a seasoned investment professional with a focus on sustainable and climate investments within African emerging markets. She is proficient in the end-to-end investment cycle from sourcing to closing and post-investment monitoring. She previously worked at the Gabonese Sovereign Wealth Fund (1.8B AUM) where she managed a portfolio exceeding USD 100M overseeing investment, operations, post-investment support, and reporting. Elsa has climate finance experience including engaging carbon markets to commercialize the largest sovereign carbon credits issue and designing a Biodiversity Trust Fund. Elsa holds a bachelor degree in Actuarial Science from the University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign.
Sadiki Businge
Head of Commercial - Rwanda
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Sadiki is the Head of Commercial - Rwanda at Sawa Energy. He is a business development professional with an entrepreneurial background and a strong passion for technology and renewable energy. With over a decade of experience working in commercial departments, he has helped several global tech companies enter the Rwandan/East African market. Sadiki has led sales and supported growth at Babylon Health, Infinix Mobile, Maraphones, and most recently served as Rwandan country lead for Addressya. He is passionate about opening doors, developing partnerships, and has a deep understanding of business regulations and practicalities. Sadiki holds a BBA in Marketing, and a PMP Certificate.
Moses Munyui
Head of Commercial - Uganda
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Moses Munyui is the Head of Commercial - Uganda at Sawa Energy. He is a business development specialist with over 10 years of experience in the renewable energy, FMCG, and financial services industries. He has a proven track record of developing and implementing sales and marketing strategies and hitting sales goals, including increasing revenue by 80% YoY and winning employee of the year at previous firms. Moses enjoys building and maintaining relationships with stakeholders and negotiating and closing deals. Moses is a trained actuary from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Kenya and is currently pursuing an MBA.
Nathan Balinda
Business Development Manager
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Nathan is a Business Development Manager at Sawa Energy, who has over 15 years of experience driving sales teams, developing and implementing strategic plans in the telecom, fintech, and energy sectors. Previously, he worked with Airtel Uganda and Oryx Energies Uganda Limited, where he won numerous awards for excellent sales performance. He is passionate about networking and always looks forward to connecting with new people, fostering meaningful connections that drive business growth. Additionally, he’s committed to promoting sustainable practices and contributing to the growth of renewable energy adoption. He holds a BA in Information Technology from Makerere University, Project management training certification from Aptech Uganda and a Masters in Business Administration from ISBAT university.
Caroline Wambui
Finance Manager
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Caroline is the Finance Manager at Sawa Energy. She is a Certified Public Accountant with seven years experience in finance and accounting within the energy sector and prior experience in a media house in East Africa. Caroline has expertise in financial reporting, management accounting, budgeting, forecasting, tax planning, audit, and project management. Throughout her career, she has consistently delivered impactful results. Caroline is a CPA-K, holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Statistics and is pursuing her Master’s Degree.
Ahab Etyang
Solar Asset Manager
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Ahab is the Solar Asset Manager at Sawa Energy. He is a seasoned Solar Engineer with six years experience in C&I Solar Projects. He has participated in design, construction and commissioning of over 27 MWp Solar PV and Hybrid projects. Prior to Sawa Energy, Ahab worked with CP Solar and SkyEnergy where he has served as a Project Engineer and a Service Engineer where he managed Operations and Maintenance of over 85 sites. He has built and designed projects across East Africa. Ahab holds a BSc. In Renewable Energy Technology and currently pursuing MSc. in Renewable Energy Technology at Kenyatta University. He is a licensed T3 Solar PV Technician and a member of IET-Kenya.
Corneille Mugisha
Junior Solar Asset Manager
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Corneille is the Rwandan Solar Asset Manager. He is an Electromechanical Engineer specializing in Renewable Energy, with over 4 years of experience in the solar industry. He has experience having constructed dozens of C&I solar projects for East African Power (EAP) in Rwanda. With EAP, he also played a key role in developing EAP’s 500 MW project pipeline across East Africa. He later advanced to Solar Generation Lead at ARC Power, where he managed field operations, maintained mini-grids, and supported C&I projects.
Elizabeth Nyaga
Project Engineer
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Elizabeth is the Project Engineer at Sawa Energy. She has 4 years of hands-on experience as a solar energy professional. She has successfully delivered >5 MW of solar PV projects and has implemented energy efficiency programs. Previously, she managed the construction of over 20 sites as a Project Engineer at Safi Power, consistently delivering projects on time and within budget. Prior to that, she was an Electrical Engineer at KTDA, overseeing critical electrical installations in various tea manufacturing facilities. Elizabeth holds a BSc. in Electrical & Electronics Engineering and is a Solar T3 Technician in Kenya.
Kawothar Lerato Kakiika
Investment Manager
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Kawothar is an Investment Manager at Sawa Energy. She is an experienced professional in strategy development, investment, and transaction advisory, specializing in private sector finance and investment. She has advised on 15+ projects of over USD 20M in key sectors like food & agriculture, renewable energy, and financial services. Previously, she worked with top-tier management consulting firms to provide strategic investment guidance to DFIs, government agencies, and enterprises through market assessments, feasibility studies, due diligence, investment appraisals and fundraising. She has supported 30 enterprises in Africa, fostering sustainable growth and positive social change. Kawothar holds a Bachelor's Degree in Financial Mathematics.
Guillaume Charpenel
Cofounder and Board Member
Guillaume, a cofounder and board member at Sawa Energy, has 15 years experience as an engineer constructing solar projects. Guillaume worked for the utility of Spain, and supported the construction of over 21 MW of solar systems which fed into the national utility. He founded two solar C+I businesses in Canada where he constructed over 70 solar sites, representing 3MW. He is on the board of several companies, and is an angel investor in renewable energy initiatives. He has been involved in solar energy in East Africa since 2020.
