Coffee Pump Podcast

Sajid Vayani

Welcome to "Coffee Pump" the caffeinated podcast where we brew memorable moments! Join us as we chat with fascinating folks each episode. Grab your cup of joe and get ready to pump up your life!

  1. 3d ago

    Mitumba Shirts, Burnout & Digging Shambas - Brian Longwe | Coffee Pump (E129)

    Konnichiwa Fam, Everyone I've had on this series kept saying the same name, so we closed AfPIF Kigali with Brian Munyao Longwe. Before he helped bring the internet to Kenya he was washing mitumba shirts and selling them out of a briefcase in Nairobi offices, and he got his first tech job by knocking on every door from ABC Place to town until someone said yes. He talks openly about burnout, the shares he forgot to ask for, and getting sober eight years ago. This episode was recorded at the Africa Peering and Interconnection Forum (https://www.afpif.org) in collaboration with the African IXP Association (https://www.af-ix.org) - ⁠ We talk about: – A Harvard MBA dad with a gambling problem, and 27 houses by age 27 – Washing mitumba shirts and selling them to men in offices out of a briefcase – Knocking on every office door in Nairobi for a week to land a 4,000 bob job – Starting Corporate Computers and selling PCs at 250,000 with no elevator – Walking away from his first company and handing back his shares – Fixing a family's email by accident and discovering the internet – Kenya's first always-on connection, a 64k pipe and a launch at the Serena – Burnout, sleeping under the desk and what it took to break the pattern – Building ISP Kenya, the golf course merger that became Wananchi, and leaving with nothing – Eight years sober and the counsellor who told him to stop being an idiot – The email from his 9-year-old daughter that ended his life out of a suitcase – What he thinks happens to Africa's digital economy in the next five years Hope you enjoy the episode. Best, Team Coffee Pump Order Our Coffee and Wallpapers: https://wa.me/c/254707696969 Our Coffee and Tea Is live! Order from our website: https://coffeepumppodcast.com/shop Join Our Membership and get access to videos early: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkZKGnWZWb-S9wJdz9IGDTw/join Support The Channel: MPESA: 0707 69 69 69 Pay Bill: 542 542 Account Number: 069 420 Find Brian Munyao Longwe: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-munyao-longwe-25432/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brianlongwe/ AfPIF and AF-IX: Africa Peering and Interconnection Forum: https://www.afpif.org African IXP Association: https://www.af-ix.org ⁠ Find our host Sajid Vayani: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sajvayani Coffee Pump Spotify, Apple and Socials: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sajvayani

  2. 3d ago

    AI Conspiracies, PowerPoint Selling & Co-Intelligence - Shikoli Makatiani | Coffee Pump (E128)

    Konnichiwa, Shikoli Makatiani was Africa Online's first employee. He ran the servers that carried Kenya's first emails from under his bed in Boston, dropped out of college at 20 to go set up the internet in Abidjan, and came back to build the security monitoring that sat on KIXP watching people try to hack their way into the country. Now he's founding CTO at Akili AI putting AI agents inside Kenyan banks and hospitals. We start with the Anthropic resignation tweet and go from there. We talk about: – The Anthropic tweet, and whether the doom talk is really a play for regulation – His conspiracy theory: an AI escape, wiped savings, and digital IDs – Quantum computers, and what happens to your Bitcoin when the key breaks – Kakamega to Boston at 18, and the deodorant his brother's friend bought him – The Next computer he thought he had killed, and the Unix book that changed everything – Selling Nairobi newspaper summaries to Kenyan students in the US by modem – How that became Africa Online, and the servers under his bed calling Kenya at midnight – Dropping out at 20 to set up the internet in Abidjan, and the war that followed – Waking up at 25 to find his share options had matured – The Lagos insurance deal they won overnight while everyone else brought PowerPoints – Monitoring KIXP, and watching the hackers come for Kenya – Why AI hallucinating in your finance department should scare you – Shadow judgment, and the new hire whose emails read like a PhD – Getting AI to answer like it's on drugs, and why that gets you better ideas – The Kenyan bank that blocked AI completely, and why he says they're early – Why AI removes bias faster than humans ever will – Why driving your own car might be illegal in 25 years Hope you enjoy the episode. Best, Team Coffee Pump Order Our Coffee and Wallpapers: https://wa.me/c/254707696969 Our Coffee and Tea Is live! Order from our website: https://coffeepumppodcast.com/shop Join Our Membership and get access to videos early: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkZKGnWZWb-S9wJdz9IGDTw/join Support The Channel: MPESA: 0707 69 69 69 Pay Bill: 542 542 Account Number: 069 420 Find Shikoli Makatiani: - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shikoli-makatiani/ - X: https://x.com/smakatiani - Akili AI: https://akili-ai.com Equipment supplied by Cameras Africa: - Website: https://www.camerasafrica.com - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/camerasafrica_ Find our host Sajid Vayani: - Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sajvayani Coffee Pump Spotify, Apple and Socials: - Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sajvayani Disclaimer: The content of The Coffee Pump Podcast is intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed by the hosts and guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Coffee Pump Podcast, its affiliates, or any associated entities. Nothing discussed in this podcast should be construed as professional advice in any field, including but not limited to legal, financial, medical, or business matters. Any statements made about businesses, products, or individuals are based on personal experiences and opinions and are not meant to be taken as fact or a definitive review. The Coffee Pump Podcast does not assume any liability for the accuracy, completeness, or consequences of using the information discussed. Listeners are encouraged to form their own opinions, conduct their own research, and seek professional guidance where appropriate. By listening to this podcast, you acknowledge that The Coffee Pump Podcast is not responsible for any actions or decisions made based on the content provided.

  3. 3d ago

    Saudi Meetings, Golf Clubs & BICS Africa - Abdel Kader Traoré | Coffee Pump (127)

    Konnichiwa Fam, Abdel Kader Traoré is one of the sales guys I look up to in this industry, and this is the first time I've heard his full story. He started as a telecom engineer building 2G networks in Côte d'Ivoire, designed the radio network for Algeria, built the first 10 gig backbone in France, then did an MBA so he could get closer to the people making the decisions. Now he runs Middle East and Africa for BICS, and he's honest about how thin the margins have become and where the money goes next. This episode was recorded at the Africa Peering and Interconnection Forum (https://www.afpif.org) in collaboration with the African IXP Association (https://www.af-ix.org). We talk about: – Growing up in Abidjan, and why Côte d'Ivoire is doing better than its neighbours – Building 2G networks before data was even the point – Five years in Algeria and Tunisia with two different weekends – Moving to France and the shock of process after doing everything by hand – Seeing the first 10 gig SFP and now selling 400 gig waves – Why he did an MBA to move from engineer to sales – Selling a data Centre for less than a Paris apartment – The Saudi meeting that got pushed two days after he'd already landed – IP transit to peering to your own submarine cable, how operators grow up – Why a Red Sea cable cut moves Africa's traffic to the west coast overnight – Only 1 or 2 percent of Africa's traffic stays in Africa – Why his wife bought him his first golf lesson Hope you enjoy the episode. Best, Team Coffee Pump Order Our Coffee and Wallpapers: https://wa.me/c/254707696969 Our Coffee and Tea Is live! Order from our website: https://coffeepumppodcast.com/shop Join Our Membership and get access to videos early: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkZKGnWZWb-S9wJdz9IGDTw/join Support The Channel: MPESA: 0707 69 69 69 Pay Bill: 542 542 Account Number: 069 420 Find Abdel Kader Traoré: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abdel-kader-traore-5162346/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abdel2302/ AfPIF and AF-IX: Africa Peering and Interconnection Forum: https://www.afpif.org African IXP Association: https://www.af-ix.org ​⁠ Find our host Sajid Vayani: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sajvayani Coffee Pump Spotify, Apple and Socials: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sajvayani Disclaimer: The content of The Coffee Pump Podcast is intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed by the hosts and guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Coffee Pump Podcast, its affiliates, or any associated entities. Nothing discussed in this podcast should be construed as professional advice in any field, including but not limited to legal, financial, medical, or business matters. Any statements made about businesses, products, or individuals are based on personal experiences and opinions and are not meant to be taken as fact or a definitive review. The Coffee Pump Podcast does not assume any liability for the accuracy, completeness, or consequences of using the information discussed. Listeners are encouraged to form their own opinions, conduct their own research, and seek professional guidance where appropriate. By listening to this podcast, you acknowledge that The Coffee Pump Podcast is not responsible for any actions or decisions made based on the content provided.

  4. Sep 24

    Aviation Dreams, Rugby & Selling Starlink Across Africa - Said Alli | Coffee Pump (E126)

    Konnichiwa, Recorded live at AfPIF 2026 in Kigali. Said Alli is the Executive Chairman and CEO of MoveOn Telecoms, and he got there by accident. He wanted to work in aviation, ended up at Makerere studying IT, and has spent the last two decades building networks across East Africa. Six Telecoms, Raha, Green Telecom in Tanzania, and now a business connecting people through Starlink in places fibre will never reach. We get into: – Wanting a career in aviation and how that turned into telecoms – Growing up in Uganda and what university actually taught him – Rugby, and what the game gave him that the classroom didn't – His first networking job and learning the trade from the ground up – Moving from engineering into business development – Joining Raha in Tanzania and what that market taught him – Founding Green Telecom and what nearly broke it – Running MoveOn Telecoms and building wireless infrastructure – Working with SpaceX and what satellite really changes for rural Africa – Open access fibre and why the model matters – What he's building next – His first AfPIF and why he keeps coming back Huge thanks to AfPIF and the African IXP Association for hosting us and setting up the guests. Hope you enjoy the episode. Best, Team Coffee Pump Order Our Coffee and Wallpapers: https://wa.me/c/254707696969 Our Coffee and Tea Is live! Order from our website: https://coffeepumppodcast.com/shop Join Our Membership and get access to videos early: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkZKGnWZWb-S9wJdz9IGDTw/join Support The Channel: MPESA: 0707 69 69 69 Pay Bill: 542 542 Account Number: 069 420 Recorded at AfPIF 2026, Kigali, in collaboration with: Africa Peering and Interconnection Forum: https://www.afpif.org African IXP Association: https://www.af-ix.org Find Said Alli: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tchiddy/ LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/said-alli-93066b3b/ MoveOn Telecoms: https://www.moveontelecoms.co.ke Find our host Sajid Vayani: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sajvayani Coffee Pump Spotify, Apple and Socials: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sajvayani Disclaimer: The content of The Coffee Pump Podcast is intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed by the hosts and guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Coffee Pump Podcast, its affiliates, or any associated entities. Nothing discussed in this podcast should be construed as professional advice in any field, including but not limited to legal, financial, medical, or business matters. Any statements made about businesses, products, or individuals are based on personal experiences and opinions and are not meant to be taken as fact or a definitive review. The Coffee Pump Podcast does not assume any liability for the accuracy, completeness, or consequences of using the information discussed. Listeners are encouraged to form their own opinions, conduct their own research, and seek professional guidance where appropriate. By listening to this podcast, you acknowledge that The Coffee Pump Podcast is not responsible for any actions or decisions made based on the content provided.

  5. Sep 24

    GTA 6, Gene Editing & Short Kings - Joab Ogato | Coffee Pump (E125)

    Konnichiwa, Ogato is back before he heads home to Canada, and we start with him reacting to the GTA 6 trailer for the first time, which turns into a full history of Rockstar. From there it goes where it always does with him: whether short men are angrier, why private schools charge you a fortune for the same teacher as the public school down the road, and what actually happens to your DNA as you get older. We talk about: – Ogato reacting to GTA 6 and why Rockstar built the sandbox – PSSR vs DLSS, explained for people who don't game – Ngong Hills, falling into Longonot and the Amref cover that costs 3,000 bob a year – Private medical insurance and why hospitals milk you once they know you're covered – Greed as the one thing every industry runs on, mosques and churches included – The Napoleon complex and whether short kings are angrier – Voice breaking, forced deep voices and the accent I switch on for customers – ADHD, KCPE and why exam scores can't tell you who's a dumbass – Why private schools are a scam and St Mary's before the arts programme died – Does sperm quality drop with age, and what really gets passed to your kids – CRISPR, the scientist jailed for HIV-resistant babies and whether we'll live forever – Nootropics as a business, the boner shake and juju doctors on Rough Road Hope you enjoy the episode. Best, Team Coffee Pump Get your Tickets - Couch Connect and Coffee Pump Live Event: https://tikko.co.ke/event/0a16ec18-fa65-440e-8004-0211164a3f3f Order Our Coffee Now: - Whatsapp Order: https://wa.me/c/254707696969 - Website: https://coffeepumppodcast.com/shop Join Our Membership and get access to videos early: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkZKGnWZWb-S9wJdz9IGDTw/join Support The Channel: - MPESA: 0707 69 69 69 - Pay Bill: 542 542 Account Number: 069 420 Find Ogato and the Couch Connect Podcast: - Instagram: www.instagram.com/ogatoj - LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/joab-ogato-55232843 - Instagram Couch Connect: https://www.instagram.com/thecouchconnect - Youtube Couch Connect: https://www.youtube.com/@thecouchconnect ​⁠ Find our host Sajid Vayani: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sajvayani Coffee Pump Spotify, Apple and Socials: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sajvayani

  6. Sep 24

    Bad Handwriting, Gold Drilling & Building Tanzania's Internet - Frank Habicht | Coffee Pump (E124)

    Konnichiwa Recorded live at AfPIF 2026 in Kigali. Frank Habicht was our first guest of the week, and his story is not what you'd expect from a man who runs Tanzania's internet exchange. He grew up in East Germany, went to Tanzania in 1998 for a student conference, met his wife because she complained about his handwriting, and never really left. Twenty years later he's still there, and he's spent most of them building the infrastructure the rest of us take for granted. We get into: – Why they call him the vulture – Climbing Kilimanjaro at 25 and struggling more on the way down – Africa Online, dial-up, and running a country's internet off satellite – The years when Dar and Nairobi could only talk to each other via Norway – Five years drilling for gold, and why leaving the ISP world made him more useful – Choosing the tallest building in Dar so no competitor had the advantage – The day VPNs got shut off across an entire country – Beijing on the night of the Olympics opening ceremony, and an empty plane out – What changed when the subsea cable finally landed in 2009 – Celebrating one megabit, then one gigabit – Why one cache now carries half the exchange's traffic, and why that worries him – IPv4 running out, carrier-grade NAT, and what it costs users – Why 240 ISPs competing is great for you and brutal for them – Why exchange work is ninety percent social and ten percent technical Huge thanks to AfPIF and the African IXP Association for hosting us and setting up the guests. Hope you enjoy the episode. Best, Team Coffee Pump Order Our Coffee and Wallpapers: https://wa.me/c/254707696969 Our Coffee and Tea Is live! Order from our website: https://coffeepumppodcast.com/shop Join Our Membership and get access to videos early: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkZKGnWZWb-S9wJdz9IGDTw/join Support The Channel: MPESA: 0707 69 69 69 Pay Bill: 542 542 Account Number: 069 420 Recorded at AfPIF 2026, Kigali, in collaboration with: Africa Peering and Interconnection Forum: https://www.afpif.org African IXP Association: https://www.af-ix.org Africa IXP Youtube: ​⁠ - https://www.youtube.com/@AfricanIXPs Find Frank Habicht: geier@geier.ne.tz / frank.habicht@simbanet.co.tz Find our host Sajid Vayani: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sajvayani Coffee Pump Spotify, Apple and Socials: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sajvayani Disclaimer: The content of The Coffee Pump Podcast is intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed by the hosts and guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Coffee Pump Podcast, its affiliates, or any associated entities. Nothing discussed in this podcast should be construed as professional advice in any field, including but not limited to legal, financial, medical, or business matters. Any statements made about businesses, products, or individuals are based on personal experiences and opinions and are not meant to be taken as fact or a definitive review. The Coffee Pump Podcast does not assume any liability for the accuracy, completeness, or consequences of using the information discussed. Listeners are encouraged to form their own opinions, conduct their own research, and seek professional guidance where appropriate. By listening to this podcast, you acknowledge that The Coffee Pump Podcast is not responsible for any actions or decisions made based on the content provided.

  7. Sep 13

    Rwanda, Child Support & Dynasty Politics - Andrew Kibe & Emmanuel Kisiangani | Coffee Pump (E123)

    Konnichiwa Fam, On this episode Andrew Kibe and Emmanuel Kisiangani of ​⁠ come through. I spend two hours as the only married man in the room, which Kibe does not let go of for a second. We get into why Kibe says every married man is done, what Kigali showed us about how a country can actually work, why he feels the 2027 elections end in violence, and the courtroom reality of child support that nobody talks about until they're in it. We talk about: – Why Kibe says marriage solves nothing, and the question I couldn't answer – Losing half a million subscribers overnight and what he's doing next – Aluta, the platform he signed with that morning, and why it out-earns YouTube – Kigali vs Nairobi and whether Rwanda works without Kagame – His 2027 prediction, and whether democracy was ever real here – The Victoria Mutiso murder and the property fight behind it – Child support courts, prenups and why he says you can't reason with a woman – Getting a girlfriend in the work lift and why there's no bro code – BBC, the SASMA award and being a person of interest – Kibe for president with Scar as running mate – The Tate brothers and owning nothing on paper – Boxing Salasia in December and the Simple Boy backlash Hope you enjoy the episode. Best, Team Coffee Pump Order Our Coffee and Wallpapers: https://wa.me/c/254707696969 Our Coffee and Tea Is live! Order from our website: https://coffeepumppodcast.com/shop Join Our Membership and get access to videos early: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkZKGnWZWb-S9wJdz9IGDTw/join Support The Channel: MPESA: 0707 69 69 69 Pay Bill: 542 542 Account Number: 069 420 Find Andrew Kibe: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kibeandy X: https://x.com/kibeandy Kibe's Website: https://www.andrewkibemedia.com Find Emmanuel and the Kisiangani Podcast: YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thekisianganipodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmanuelkisiangani Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekisianganipodcast X: https://x.com/manukisiangani Find our host Sajid Vayani: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sajvayani Coffee Pump Spotify, Apple and Socials: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sajvayani Cameras Africa: Website: https://www.camerasafrica.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/camerasafrica_

  8. Sep 13

    GCORE, Mormon Churches & PeeringDB - Isabel "Izzy" Odida | Coffee Pump (E122)

    Konnichiwa, We recorded this episode at AfPIF 2026 in Kigali, and my guest is Isabel Odida, better known as Izzy, Peering Manager at Gcore and VP of Peering DB. She's Ugandan, based in Dubai, and looks after peering strategy across more than 210 points of presence globally. She also insists her story isn't that interesting, which you'll see is nonsense about four minutes in. We get into: – What a CDN actually does, and me pitching her our Mombasa data centre live on air – Why her entire job is getting things for free, and why that's harder than selling – Doing university and college at the same time, six days a week, no social life – Teaching kids at church for six years, and the day she walked away from it – Building a functioning ISP in one week at AFNOG – Being hired as a CTO with no IoT experience and learning it on the job – Two years running an NGO, and what happens if you underspend the budget – Sitting in rooms with the people who wrote the internet's foundations – Why the industry robbed her of ever being a soft girl – The Peering DB problem I raised on air, and the fixes she started taking notes on – Her advice to women coming into this industry now Huge thanks to AfPIF and the African IXP Association for hosting us and setting up the guests. Hope you enjoy the episode. Best, Team Coffee Pump Order Our Coffee and Wallpapers: https://wa.me/c/254707696969 Our Coffee and Tea Is live! Order from our website: https://coffeepumppodcast.com/shop Join Our Membership and get access to videos early: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkZKGnWZWb-S9wJdz9IGDTw/join Support The Channel: MPESA: 0707 69 69 69 Pay Bill: 542 542 Account Number: 069 420 Recorded at AfPIF 2026, Kigali, in collaboration with: - Africa Peering and Interconnection Forum: https://www.afpif.org - African IXP Association: https://www.af-ix.org - Youtube: https://youtube.com/@africanixps?si=ik3KO1XytZU4ynMT Find Isabel (Izzy) Odida: - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabel-izzy-odida-87010132/ - Photography: https://www.instagram.com/theworldthroughizzyseyes - Gcore: https://gcore.com Find our host Sajid Vayani: - Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sajvayani Coffee Pump Spotify, Apple and Socials: - Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sajvayani Disclaimer: The content of The Coffee Pump Podcast is intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed by the hosts and guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Coffee Pump Podcast, its affiliates, or any associated entities. Nothing discussed in this podcast should be construed as professional advice in any field, including but not limited to legal, financial, medical, or business matters. Any statements made about businesses, products, or individuals are based on personal experiences and opinions and are not meant to be taken as fact or a definitive review. The Coffee Pump Podcast does not assume any liability for the accuracy, completeness, or consequences of using the information discussed. Listeners are encouraged to form their own opinions, conduct their own research, and seek professional guidance where appropriate. By listening to this podcast, you acknowledge that The Coffee Pump Podcast is not responsible for any actions or decisions made based on the content provided.

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About

Welcome to "Coffee Pump" the caffeinated podcast where we brew memorable moments! Join us as we chat with fascinating folks each episode. Grab your cup of joe and get ready to pump up your life!

Information

  • Creator
    Sajid Vayani
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    145
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Sajid Vayani
  • Show Website
    Coffee Pump Podcast

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