Kenyan Lawyer-Turned-Entrepreneur Builds Tech Company From Estonia

A Kenyan lawyer-turned-entrepreneur, Michael Opondo, has made Estonia the European base of his growing technology company, Kontorva.

Opondo began his career in Nairobi’s legal sector, working with organisations that monitored security and online extremism. His work with data analytics later led him towards technology. He obtained certifications in programming, artificial intelligence and full-stack development, preparing him for a career beyond law.

His first major move into technology came in Canada, where he worked as an analytical consultant. He later returned to Kenya and co-founded Kontorva with Sherylle Pheona.

Kontorva was established to connect African technology talent with international clients. The company specialises in blockchain, Web3, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things. It has a small core team supported by a wider network of almost 100 developers, and has secured clients in Kenya and South Africa.

Opondo saw greater opportunities in Europe and North America and began looking for a way to establish the company closer to those markets. Estonia’s e-Residency programme became a key part of that strategy. Launched in 2014, the programme allows people from around the world to establish and manage EU-registered companies online. 

Opondo applied in early 2023 and received approval within weeks. He later moved to Tallinn through Estonia’s Startup Visa programme. He said Estonia offered access to European business infrastructure as well as a business environment in which merit was more important than personal connections. He considered this approach well suited to a young technology company seeking to establish credibility in competitive markets.

Kontorva now operates from both Africa and Europe. Pheona leads the Nairobi office and oversees the company’s African operations, while Opondo manages the Tallinn base. From Estonia, he is developing European partnerships and exploring markets in Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

The company also plans to expand its operations in Africa, beginning with East Africa before moving into Southern and West Africa. Its structure is intended to combine Africa’s pool of software developers with access to Europe’s digital economy.

Opondo’s career has taken him from legal work in Nairobi to technology consulting in Canada and entrepreneurship in Estonia. A separate example of Kenyan entrepreneurship can be found in Mwatate, Taita Taveta, where salon owner Clara has built a beauty supermarket using repurposed shipping containers.

Clara documented the project’s development on TikTok under the Royal Touch Hair brand. The project used much of her savings and presented several challenges, but she continued with the work and eventually opened the business.