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Ali WangaraGet in touch
WORK

From first commit to production.

3+ years building APIs, databases and payment integrations.

Currently:Software Engineer, Makao HomesLocation:Nairobi, Kenya (remote)Timezone:UTC+3Availability:Open to freelance workCore stack:Python, Django, DRF, PostgreSQLPayments:M-Pesa, Stripe
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Software Engineer

Makao Homes and Realtors
04/2025 - Present·Remote, Nairobi, Kenya
  • •Designed and developed a full-stack real estate platform, growing to 70+ active property listings and serving 2,000+ monthly visitors.
  • •Built an admin dashboard so non-technical staff can manage property listings without engineering support.
  • •Implemented secure user authentication and session management to protect account data.
  • •Delivered a fully responsive, mobile-optimized interface for browsing properties on any device.

Backend Developer

Freelance (Upwork)
05/2023 - Present·Remote, Nairobi, Kenya
  • •Delivered 10+ freelance projects across client industries, specializing in API design, database architecture and third-party integrations.
  • •Built and launched an e-commerce platform processing approximately 100,000 KSH in monthly transaction volume, with M-Pesa and Stripe payments.
  • •Integrated M-Pesa and Stripe across multiple client projects for East African and international customers.
  • •Designed relational database schemas, improving data retrieval efficiency by 25%.
  • •Used Sentry for production error monitoring, reducing resolution time on user-reported issues.
Used: M-Pesa, Stripe, Sentry

Backend & Systems Developer

WHTa Networks
02/2024 - 07/2024·Remote, Nairobi, Kenya
  • •Shipped Django features with a cross-functional backend team for a production platform serving 300+ active users.
  • •Delivered optimized REST APIs with Django REST Framework, reducing frontend development time by 40%.
  • •Maintained production MySQL databases, with regular backups and performance monitoring.
  • •Wrote technical documentation for internal APIs to speed up cross-team work.
  • •Deployed a web application on AWS EC2 and S3, cutting manual server setup time by 30% with basic automation scripts.
Used: Django, DRF, MySQL, AWS EC2 & S3

Technology Manager (Volunteer)

Spreading Smiles, Non-Profit
04/2020 - Present·Nairobi, Kenya
  • •Set up and maintained IT systems used by volunteers and staff.
  • •Cleared, wiped and inventoried donated equipment for redistribution.

WHAT I WORK WITH

API design and development

REST APIs with Django REST Framework and FastAPI.

Database design

PostgreSQL and MySQL schemas, ORM, backups and monitoring.

Payments

M-Pesa and Stripe integrations, including callbacks and webhooks.

Third-party integrations

Email, social media APIs and authentication such as OAuth 2.

Deployment and monitoring

Railway, Render, AWS EC2 and S3, with Sentry for errors.

Full-stack delivery

Next.js and React interfaces when a project needs them.

API & runtimes

  • Python
  • Django
  • Django REST Framework
  • FastAPI
  • Flask

Data

  • PostgreSQL
  • MySQL
  • MongoDB
  • SQLite

Frontend

  • Next.js
  • React
  • JavaScript

Infra & tools

  • Git
  • GitHub
  • Linux
  • Postman
  • Sentry
  • Unit Testing
  • Railway
  • Render
  • AWS EC2 & S3

HOW I WORK

01

Scope

Understand the problem, the users and the constraints before writing code.

02

Design

Plan the database schema and the API contract first.

03

Build

Write the API with tests and clear documentation.

04

Ship

Deploy, monitor errors with Sentry and keep it reliable.

FAQ

How do we get started?+

Book a 15-minute intro call or send me an email. We'll talk through the problem and what you need built.

Which timezone do you work in?+

UTC+3 (Nairobi). I work remotely with teams in other timezones.

Are you available now?+

Yes, I'm open to freelance projects.