- Full Name
- Sylia Mulinge
- Nationality
- Kenyan
- Early Life
- Sylvia Mulinge was born in Nairobi in 1977 and raised in Nakuru. The eldest of five children, she attended St. Xavier’s Primary School and Mary Mount Secondary School before earning a BSc in Food Science and Technology from the University of Nairobi. Her father, an engineer, and her mother, a bank secretary, shaped her discipline and work ethic
- Education
- Sylvia Mulinge attended St. Xavier’s Primary School in Nakuru and Mary Mount Secondary School in Molo. She later earned a First-Class Honours BSc in Food Science and Technology from the University of Nairobi in 2000.
- Work History
- Sylvia Mulinge began her career at Unilever, then joined Safaricom in 2006, holding senior roles in retail, sales, enterprise business, and consumer business. She served as CEO of Vodacom Tanzania from 2018 to 2020, returned to Safaricom as Chief Customer Officer, and became CEO of MTN Uganda in October 2022.
- Career
- Sylvia Mulinge began her career at Unilever, then spent 16 years at Safaricom rising from product manager to Chief Customer Officer. She briefly led Vodacom Tanzania, returned to Safaricom as Chief Consumer Business Officer, and became CEO of MTN Uganda in October 2022
- Accolades
- Sylvia Mulinge has received major recognitions including MTN Group CEO of the Year (2025), Kenya’s Moran of the Order of the Burning Spear, World Economic Forum Young Global Leader (2015), and the Africa CMO Hall of Fame (2026). She has also been named among Kenya’s Top 40 Under 40 Women and Top 25 Women in Digital.
- Places Of Work
- Sylvia Mulinge has worked at Unilever, Safaricom, Vodacom Tanzania, and MTN Uganda. She spent 16 years at Safaricom, rising to Chief Customer Officer, before becoming CEO of MTN Uganda in 2022
