Hi, I'm Mark. I'm a software engineer who believes the best code solves real problems for real people. This is where I share my learnings, explore ideas, and occasionally ramble about the intersection of technology and life.
Exploring distributed systems, reading "Designing Data-Intensive Applications", and diving deep into the psychology of debugging.
This is how I look when I'm debugging
Where I share what I'm learning and thinking about
Over-Engineered on Purpose — Part 9: Centralized Configuration, Distributed Tracing, and a Chicken-and-Egg Problem.
Over-Engineered on Purpose — Part 8: The Common Module, Auto-Configuration, and Making gRPC Authentication Invisible.
Over-Engineered on Purpose — Part 6: Authentication in Microservices, and Why My First Approach Was Wrong.
Over-Engineered on Purpose — Part 7: Setting Up an Authorization Server and Understanding What Spring Does Behind Your Back.
Projects that taught me something worth sharing
A digital barbershop management platform for Kenyan barbershops that replaces paper ledgers with intelligent commission tracking, M-Pesa payment integration (STK push, automated receipts), and automated loyalty rewards. Features live analytics, staff performance dashboards, and 3-minute guided onboarding.
A fullstack waste management platform that connects households with local collectors, tracks pickups in real time, and automates payments and payouts — all built with Next.js, Spring Boot, and PostgreSQL.
A rental platform that connects machinery owners with people who need them — from small contractors to everyday homeowne…
A corporate website for ESTC, a professional training organization offering custom programs in Leadership, ICT, HR, and …
A platform for selling bags, shoes and scarves. Gives a variety of goods to choose from and uses WhatsApp when you want …
Every project is a story of problem-solving, learning, and sometimes failing spectacularly. I build things not just to solve problems, but to understand them better. Each project teaches me something about people, systems, or myself.
I'm always looking for interesting technical challenges and opportunities to build systems that solve real problems. Let's discuss your project.
Let's TalkHow I got here, what I'm learning, and what keeps me curious
My fascination with technology began with smartphones. I remember the day my dad brought home a Samsung Note 5—it wasn't just a phone to me, it was a marvel. I'd sit for hours in local movie shops with WiFi, watching videos on things like octa-core processors, hyperthreading, and multitasking.
Years later, I chose to pursue Computer Science, and it was like discovering a new universe. Compiler construction, distributed systems, concurrency—each concept revealed just how deep the rabbit hole goes. I was hooked.
If there's one thing this journey has taught me, it's the importance of curiosity. Try, fail, learn, and try again. As Alan Watts said: "The purpose of music is not the end of the composition… the whole point of the dancing is the dance." For me, software engineering is the same—the beauty is in the process.
"Designing Data-Intensive Applications" by Martin Kleppmann and anything about distributed systems.
Exploring microservices patterns, learning Rust, and experimenting with event-driven architectures.
How philosophy intersects with software design, and the art of writing code that humans can understand.
Advanced concurrency patterns, system design at scale, and the balance between performance and maintainability.
Building tailored software applications for clients across industries. Working across the stack to deliver production-grade systems with impact.
Joined the payments squad, contributed to Java-based microservices, and improved test coverage to 80% on SonarQube.
Built client-facing websites using Next.js and CMS platforms. Designed and deployed a pharmacy inventory system with ERPNext.
I think distributed systems are beautiful puzzles waiting to be solved
I enjoy diving into youtube videos where the person is talking about a niche topic… 'what is attention?? and then goes to explain something so indepth'
I love reading books on philosophy and life lessons
I genuinely believe music heals the soul
Working out is second nature to me
I enjoy film… not movies. Film!!!
Big tech nerd… if money allowed i would have the latest macbook pro each year
I love meeting fellow learners and builders. Whether you want to discuss ideas, collaborate on something interesting, or just say hello.