Samuel Gikandi, CEO and co-founder of Africa’s Talking, has reportedly been kicked out of the company he helped build.
In a tweet posted on Sunday, Gikandi wrote that he was forced out by “the very criminals I am investigating” and that investigating them was itself considered “a crime.”
This claim is the latest chapter in what appears to be a pattern of governance problems at the Nairobi-based communications software company, which has seen multiple co-founders exit under disputed circumstances.
Africa’s Talking provides APIs for bulk SMS, USSD, voice, payments, and airtime services across 11 African countries. The company raised $8.6 million in Series A funding in 2018 from the International Finance Corporation, Orange Digital Ventures, and Social Capital after bootstrapping for seven years.
But behind the expansion story appears to be a messier reality. Last year, Bilha Ndirangu, another co-founder who served as COO and later CEO, sued Africa’s Talking for what she called an unlawful termination.
According to TechCabal, court documents showed she was voted out as director in June 2023, seven months after she accused senior company officials of misconduct and called for an independent investigation.
She told the court she was removed to block that investigation and that the vote removing her violated a court order that had restrained the company from taking such action. She argued the removal required votes from an employee share trust that was inactive and lacked voting rights.
At the time of her removal, Ndirangu and fellow petitioners owned 20.83% of Africa’s Talking, while Gikandi and his team controlled 25.25%.
Three others joined Ndirangu’s petition, including Eston Maina, another co-founder who previously served as CEO. Africa’s Talking, Gikandi, and the shareholders’ trust were named as defendants.
Court filings from Ndirangu’s case stated that her unlawful removal as director caused undue prejudice and required urgent court intervention to prevent irreparable harm. She claimed her 2021 departure was forced and that she was replaced immediately after being voted out in 2023.
Africa’s Talking was founded in 2010 by MIT graduates Gikandi, Ndirangu, and Eston Kimani. The company became profitable between 2012 and 2013.
Ndirangu was promoted to CEO in 2019 after the Series A round closed but left two years later in circumstances that court records suggest were not voluntary. Gikandi took over as CEO after her departure.
Now Gikandi says he’s on the outside too, claiming his investigation into wrongdoing at the company led to his removal. The specifics of what he was investigating and who removed him remain unclear. Neither the company nor its major investors have commented publicly on his claim.
The pattern of founder departures, combined with accusations of misconduct and questions about voting procedures, suggests Africa’s Talking is facing a major internal governance problem.
For a company backed by major institutional investors like IFC, this claim certainly raises questions about board oversight and shareholder rights.
This is a developing story. We have reached out to both parties for comment and clarification.
