Driving Impact Through Technology: Maureen Anjia

Younger Anjia was certain she would follow in her father's footsteps and become a dentist. Driven by curiosity, she would tag along to his clinic, swing in his office chair, try on oversized scrubs, and inspect medical prescriptions while playing dentist for the day.

Everything changed in high school when she took up Computer Studies. Internet access was rare back then, relying on slow modems to load a single page. Luckily, her teacher granted extra lab time, allowing students to explore and ask questions. That spark of curiosity set off a ripple effect; one that took her from searching for random facts on a slow connection, to ensuring the applications that power One Acre Fund’s tech run seamlessly. 

Tell us about your career journey into One Acre Fund, and how your role has evolved since you joined.

I studied Computer Science and graduated as one of only five women in a class of 50. Before graduating, a friend recommended an IT opening at One Acre Fund. I took a written test, had an interview, and later got a job offer, making One Acre Fund my first and only employer.

For the first three years, I was in IT support, then moved to the networks team where I supported tech design, installation, setup and troubleshooting. Later, I served as a project lead designing and setting up networks for our office and staff residential spaces. I then had a brief stint with the endpoints team, where I focused on policy. Later, I transitioned to the applications team to help establish this as a new function in the organization.

In my current role, I oversee the application lifecycle across roughly 200 software tools, from scaled third-party solutions such as Google Workspace and Notion to built, in-house tools such as the Tupande App, which allows smallholder farmers to order farm inputs directly from their phones. 

You have officially clocked some serious time here—11 years! What’s been the "I’m not leaving" factor for you?

One Acre Fund provides growth opportunities to move up the career ladder, and you can also switch from one team to another, horizontally or vertically. If a role lacks challenge, I naturally think about moving on. But here, there is always a new strategy to shape, a process to improve, and an opportunity to grow beyond your role.

With your tech skills, you could have the pick of any major software companies. Why did you choose the agricultural space and One Acre Fund instead?

One Acre Fund truly shaped my values. Farmers already work so hard, but some aren't able to earn well enough. Being part of an organization that supports them in increasing their incomes has given me a sense of purpose that commercial tech simply cannot replicate.

My work supports farmers in two indirect but vital ways. By optimizing our application stack, negotiating subscription rates, and preventing the use of duplicate tools, we make financial savings that can be redirected towards farmer-facing programs. Also, I ensure billing and system hosting for farmer-facing tools like the Tupande App maintain zero downtime, allowing farmers to shop and check product availability conveniently.

What do you enjoy about being a woman in tech, driving impact?

When I worked in networks, the job required physical effort like hauling heavy equipment and climbing ladders. I loved proving that women can handle physical and technical demands equally well. Today, I enjoy challenging biases in the STEM space by inspiring younger women to step into tech roles. I also enjoy seeing my work drive measurable impact through effective application use.

When you are not closing out Jira tickets, where can we find you?

At home in Nairobi with my two sons! I am an avid sports fan who loves watching football and rugby. Back in 2014, while finishing university, I actually played goalkeeper in the Kenya Premier League for Vihiga Queens and earned quite a few clean sheets!

Finish this sentence: “The best part of my work is…”

...being able to solve real problems for users by providing the right software solutions.