PAUL KIMANI

Senior Software Engineer

paulkabaiku023@gmail.com

+254724017787

Nairobi, Kenya

Summary

• Around 10+ years of IT experience in SDLC that includes planning, requirement gathering, design, development, testing, implementation and maintenance.

• Experience in design and development of Application Interfaces (APIs) using Java (Spring, Spring-Boot), Node.js, Nest.js, Express.js, .NET framework, and Python (Flask, Django).

• Strong understanding & hands-on experience of Multi-Threading, OOPS, Concurrency & Garbage Collection concepts, Collections, and Exception handling mechanisms.

• Experience in frontend development using React.js and Angular.

• Experience with Object Relational Mapping (ORM) involving Java Persistence API (JPA), Sequelize, and Django ORM.

• Expertise in queuing technologies such as RabbitMQ and ActiveMQ.

• Expertise in event streaming technologies such as Kafka.

• Hands-on experience with scripting languages in Unix and Linux.

• Experience in implementing and consuming REST, SOAP, GraphQL, and Remote Procedure Call (RPC) APIs.

• Experience using Maven and Gradle scripts for building applications.

• Experience in creating unit testing using JUnit, Mockito, Mocha, Chai, and Unittest.

• Strong debugging and troubleshooting skills.

• Proven expertise in common Java tools and frameworks such as Eclipse, IntelliJ, Maven, Gradle, Log4J, XML, JSON, etc.

• Professional experience and expert skills in RDBMS and NoSQL such as MySQL, MSSQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, SQLite, MongoDB, Redis, etc.

• Extensive experience with software engineering good practices (unit testing, code review, continuous integration, design documentation).

• Good knowledge and experience working with Spring Security, Spring Cloud, Spring Integration, Spring Batch, Reactive Spring, etc.

• Experience working with cloud platforms such as Azure (AKS, Pipelines, Key Vault, Storage, Repos, App Insights) and AWS (CodeCommit, Managed Services, S3, Secrets Manager, Pipelines).

• Proven track record creating and maintaining production-quality Java, Node.js, and Python applications.

• Experienced with Agile & Scrum methodologies and project development processes.

• Extensive experience working with monolithic and microservices architecture.

• Exceptional interpersonal, communication, relationship-building, organizational, and time-management skills.

• Solid SQL experience — Stored procedures, Functions, Triggers, Indexing, etc.

• Familiarity with .NET Core (Currently learning).

Skills

  • Languages: Java, Kotlin, Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, PHP, VB .NET, C#
  • Frameworks & Libraries: Spring Boot, Hibernate, Django, Flask, Express.js, NestJS, .NET, JUnit, Mockito, Mocha, Chai
  • Frontend: React.js, Angular, HTML5, CSS3
  • API: RESTful APIs, SOAP, GraphQL, RPC, ISO 8583
  • Databases: PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, SQLite, MongoDB, Redis, CockroachDB
  • ORM: JPA, Sequelize, Django ORM, Hibernate
  • Cloud Platforms: Azure (AKS, App Services, Pipelines, Key Vault, Storage, Repos), AWS (EKS, Lambda, S3, Secrets Manager, CodeCommit)
  • DevOps & CI/CD: Jenkins, Azure DevOps, Git, GitHub, SonarQube, Terraform, Docker, Kubernetes
  • Messaging & Queuing: Kafka, RabbitMQ, ActiveMQ, JMS
  • Testing & QA: JUnit, Mockito, Mocha, Chai, Postman, Swagger, JMeter
  • Tools & Servers: Eclipse, IntelliJ, Maven, Gradle, Tomcat, WebLogic
  • Methodologies: Agile, Scrum, CI/CD
  • Other: WireMock, SQL Optimization, ER Modeling, Biometric Systems

Work Experience

Lead Developer – Integrations

Equity Bank (Consultant)

Nairobi, Kenya | Sept 2021 – Present

  • Led a team of 10+ developers, providing mentorship, code reviews, and virtual training sessions.
  • Architected scalable, reliable solutions and oversaw system design decisions.
  • Led development of Equity Direct solution across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan.
  • Migrated 450+ billers from legacy system to new platform.
  • Developed microservices with Spring Boot; ensured high scalability and performance.
  • Utilized Kafka for event streaming; RabbitMQ for queuing tasks.
  • Built and maintained Django APIs consumed by web clients.
  • Collaborated with QA to ensure product fit and technical compliance.
  • Implemented data profiling, mapping, and validation workflows.
  • Improved transaction reliability by adding automated retry logic.
  • Set up WireMock for API mocking during integration testing.
  • Built multi-factor authentication and disaster recovery systems.
  • Automated CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins; tested APIs with Swagger, Postman.

Senior Software Engineer

Cellulant

Nairobi, Kenya | Nov 2020 – Sept 2021

  • Developed ISO 8583-compliant APIs enabling interoperability between banks and telcos.
  • Led R&D to improve internal coding standards.
  • Implemented CI/CD with Azure DevOps and Terraform, increasing deployment speed.
  • Reduced DB queries by 30% through caching mechanisms.
  • Resolved critical production bugs and conducted deep-level technical support.
  • Developed mobile app enhancements and supported frontend in React/Angular.
  • Helped design multi-user login system combining retail and business features.
  • Migrated legacy systems to AWS cloud infrastructure.
  • Created USSD solutions for Absa Life insurance product distribution.
  • Developed scalable backends using Spring, Spring Security, and JMS.

Senior Software Developer

TosPay

Nairobi, Kenya | Feb 2020 – Nov 2020

  • Led POS department and selected POS hardware vendors and solutions.
  • Developed backend APIs in Spring Boot and Python for PesaLink integration.
  • Built USSD and agency management systems for TosPay clients.
  • Worked with CockroachDB, PostgreSQL, and MySQL.
  • Implemented load balancing and autoscaling, improving uptime and speed.
  • Participated in end-to-end telecom integration and QA testing.

Lead Backend Developer

Compulynx

Nairobi, Kenya | Jun 2018 – Jan 2019

  • Led backend team and created company-wide coding standards and procedures.
  • Upgraded tech stack from Spring Core + AngularJS to Spring Boot + Angular 2+.
  • Developed agency banking system for Post Bank Uganda.
  • Designed biometric registration and validation solution.
  • Built internal tools like clock-in and cash disbursement systems for UN Uganda.
  • Introduced Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD into workflow.

Software Developer

Eclectics

Nairobi, Kenya | Jan 2013 – May 2018

  • Developed Eclectics’ Enterprise Service Bus in .NET and migrated to Java EE.
  • Built full-stack systems using PHP (Yii), .NET (MVC), and raw JavaScript.
  • Optimized SQL Server queries, managed replication and data archiving.
  • Integrated with banks, telcos, and utility systems.
  • Built USSD apps in PHP and Node.js; developed SOAP/REST APIs.
  • Deployed solutions across Africa; led client training sessions.

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science

Strathmore University

2011 – 2013 (Deferred)

Associate Degree in Computer Science

University of the People

2022 – 2024