Coffee Pump Podcast

Konnichiwa Fam, On this episode I sit down with Boniface Mwangi, activist, photojournalist, and 2027 presidential candidate. This is the conversation that finally pulled me into politics. We get into why he believes economic thieves should be hanged publicly, the goon economy running Kenyan politics, his terrorism charges, and what he'd actually do with the presidency. We talk about: – How politic...

Konnichiwa Fam, On E114, I sit down with Coffee Pump Regular, Fareed Khimani. Fareed is an Ad director, former radio man, and addiction counselor at Full Circle, who is also a recovering addict with 23 years of active addiction behind him. We start light with his ad work and the creative process, then the conversation goes somewhere we've never taken the show before: his first line of cocaine in a...

Konnichiwa Fam, On this episode I sit down with Spencer Fondaumiere, one of only two ASI diploma sommeliers on the entire African continent, and a fellow St. Mary's boy. From getting suspended for streaking and stealing altar wine, to playing rugby for Kenya, working night shifts in a bread factory, and finally landing in Cape Town's wine world, his journey is anything but ordinary. On this episod...

Konnichiwa Fam, On E112, I sit down with Matthew Frietze, a 32nd-degree Freemason, actor and oracle based in New Mexico, for one of the most fascinating conversations we have had on the show. I came across Matthew on Instagram, fell down the rabbit hole, and reached out. What followed is a wide-ranging talk about what Freemasonry actually is versus the Illuminati myth people attach to it, how he j...

Konnichiwa Fam, On E111, I sit down with Honourable Rahim Dawood, Member of Parliament for North Imenti, for my first real conversation about the one thing this podcast has stayed away from, politics. I have taken some heat for not engaging with it, and since politics runs through every conversation in this country, I wanted to learn from someone I could relate to. Rahim is refreshingly open about...

Konnichiwa Fam, On E110, I sit down with Fredrick Rugo, A Senior Sales Manager at iColo Data Centers, my work brother of six years, and one of the best salesmen I know. This one started with a listener asking us to do an episode on how to actually sell, and Fred is the guy for it. From no shoes at 13 and one of 18 children, to becoming one of the sharpest sales veterans in the country, his story i...

Konnichiwa Fam, On E109, I sit down with Big Homie CC ⁠ and Eric Mutiso of ⁠ Every Other Time With Eric. On this episode, Big Homie shares his journey growing up in Chicago, surviving gang life, being shot, stabbed and poisoned, and why those experiences ultimately pushed him towards faith and a different path in life. We also compare Kenya and the United States, discuss psychedelics, religion, co...

On E108, I sit down with Snehar Shah, CEO of IX Africa Data Centres in Kenya, a serial operator whose career runs from electrical engineering to chartered accountant to telecom CFO to four startups. He came back to Kenya in 2008 to turn around Telkom Kenya, where he was handed the job of cutting the workforce from 20,000 to 3,000. We get into the real origin of M-Pesa, how Vodafone built it on a U...

Konnichiwa Fam, On E107, I sit down with Atul Chaturvedi, marketing strategist, Strathmore and USIU lecturer, and a former telecom CEO who has built businesses across roughly ten different industries. Atul spent his first 41 years in India before landing in Kenya in 2010, and he's run companies in pharmaceuticals, white goods, telecom, fiber, dairy and more. We get into why Nokia really lost its c...

Konnichiwa Fam, On E106, I sit down with Richard Bell, one of the pioneers of Kenya's internet industry. Richard shares his journey from serving in the Royal Marines to building some of East Africa's earliest internet companies. We discuss the birth of Swift Global, Kenya Data Networks (KDN), Kenya's first commercial data centre, the creation of the Kenya Internet Exchange Point (KIXP), KeNIC, and...

Konnichiwa Fam, On E105, Agar Omondi returns to the podcast for one of our most random conversations yet. We start with rugby, fitness, SARMs, peptides, Retatrutide, and the hidden costs of chasing physical performance. From there, we get into poetry, veganism, emotional intelligence, ethical consumption, religion, watches, life in South Korea, and the realities of getting older and figuring thing...

Konnichiwa Fam, On E104, I sit down with Nduta Kariuki, a key member of ​⁠ , for a very random but honest conversation about panic attacks, comedy, art, family, and trying to figure life out as a creative in Kenya. We talk about: • Dealing with panic attacks and nerves before public speaking • How Nduta got into stand-up comedy • Kisangani, live shows, and Kenya’s growing podcast scene • Boda boda...

Konnichiwa Fam, On E103, I sit down with Patrick Christian, Senior Manager at TeleGeography, to talk about one of the most unusual career journeys we've had on the podcast. Before spending more than two decades covering the global telecommunications industry, Patrick studied archaeology, worked on excavation sites, lived in France and the United States, and spent time in the punk rock scene before...

Konnichiwa Fam, On E102, I sit down with Adan Abdi. What started as writing funny stories in university turned into a career in stand-up comedy, taking him from small Nairobi open mics to stages across Africa and Europe We talk about: • Growing up in Nakuru and studying civil engineering • How Adan accidentally found stand-up comedy • Breaking the news to his parents that comedy was becoming a car...

Konnichiwa Fam, On E101, for the very first time, I have both Mwafreeka of Iko Nini Podcast & Eric Mutiso of ⁠Every Other Time With Eric for a conversation covering politics, current affairs, cancel culture, security, technology, AI, and the future of Kenya. We talk about: ​ Mwafreeka being cancelled online and growing a thick skin ​ Gen Z, Gen Alpha and the changing mindset of younger generat...

Konnichiwa Fam, We got to 100 Episodes! Appreciate all your support thus far. We're back on this episode with the Trio. Eric Mutiso of ​⁠Every Other Time With Eric and Fareed Khimani are back for another conversation covering careers, ambition, jealousy, politics, self-improvement, and conspiracy theories. We talk about: • Eric's career transition and why comfort can become dangerous • Bui...

Konnichiwa Fam, On E099, I sit down with Omar Pederzoli for one of the most global episodes we’ve done so far. From growing up between Italy, Spain, Paraguay, and Florida, to marathon running, crypto investing, acting in Los Angeles, and eventually building a telecommunications company in Kenya. We talk about: - Marathon training, Whoop bands, Garmin watches & recovery - Kenya’s running culture an...

Konnichiwa Fam, On E098, I sit down with Mike Okara and Young Park from Gold Rock International and Masai Coffee for a conversation around coffee, Korean entrepreneurship, Kenyan business culture, and building brands from scratch. We get into the hidden side of Kenya’s coffee industry, colonial-era regulations, coffee cartels, roasting, specialty coffee, and why Kenyan coffee is considered some of...

Konnichiwa Fam, On E097, I sit down with Shiv Simani for one of the most honest conversations we’ve had around fitness, discipline, addiction, business, and figuring yourself out as a man. Shiv opens up about his journey from partying, smoking, drunk fights, and reckless living, to completely transforming his life through fitness, Muay Thai, CrossFit, and entrepreneurship. On this episode we talk...

Konnichiwa Fam, On E096, I sit down with Ryan Fagan ​⁠ a US military veteran and real estate investor, for a conversation on war, property investing, financial freedom, and why he eventually decided to move to Kenya. Ryan opens up about his time in Iraq, military culture in the US, gaming, buying his first rental property at 22 years old, and how real estate completely changed his life financially...

Konnichiwa Fam, On E095, I sit down with Michuki Mwangi, one of the key figures behind the growth of Kenya’s internet ecosystem and connectivity industry. From the early dial-up days to KIXP, KeNIC, AFNOG, and internet policy development across Africa, this was a masterclass on how the internet in Kenya was actually built. We talk about: - The early days of computers, dial-up internet, and fax-ove...

Konnichiwa Fam, On E094, I sit down with Nimrat Kaur, radio presenter, media personality, and communications professional,for, for a conversation covering media, journalism, fitness culture, beauty trends, politics, and life in Kenya. We talk about: - Her journey into journalism and radio - Working at East FM and the realities of commercial radio - Being bullied early in her media career - ChatGPT...

Konnichiwa Fam, On E093, I sit down with Kimani Ngugi (known in the social media landscape as Nyumba Ya King), CEO of Kijani Boda. We cover quite a lot in this conversation including book reccomendations, business, travel, weed, existential crises, and trying to figure life out as a young entrepreneur in Kenya. We talk about: - Surviving boarding school hazing - Book reading culture and the books...

Konnichiwa Fam, On E092, I sit down with Bob Mwiti for a crazy life story. From growing up in Meru without shoes, TV, or school fees, to discovering his biological father as a teenager who changed Bob’s life overnight from rags to riches, and eventually building a life in America. We talk about: * Growing up poor in Meru * School fees struggles and almost missing exams * Meeting his biological fat...

Konnichiwa Fam, On this episode, I sit down with Monaja, a Kenyan rapper, historian, and cultural commentator whose work blends music, politics, and African identity. Monaja isn’t your typical artist. With a Bachelor’s and Master’s in History from the University of Nairobi, and experience as a lecturer and editor, he brings a deeper, more analytical lens into music. His sound, which he calls Tema-...