John Kimathi Ndung’u is a Guarantees and Investments Specialist at UNCDF, based in Nairobi, specializing in the design and deployment of blended finance instruments such as guarantees, loans, and grants to mobilize private capital and foster financial inclusion in the region.

John brings two decades of financial services experience, including over a decade dedicated to credit guarantees and development finance. He has extensive consulting experience as a credit guarantee expert on technical assistance projects commissioned by multilateral and bilateral development finance institutions, including the World Bank and KfW, for the design, operationalization, and/or improvement of credit guarantee funds in countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Rwanda, Kosovo, and North Macedonia.

He was also part of the original team that launched and operationalized the African Guarantee Fund for SMEs (AGF), where he structured and managed a portfolio of credit guarantees with financial institutions across Sub-Saharan Africa. His credit guarantee experience spans multiple regions, including East Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa, and the Western Balkans.

Beyond development finance, his experience is grounded in commercial banking and supporting the startup innovation ecosystem. His banking background includes managing credit risk for SME and corporate portfolios at GT Bank Kenya and working as a Credit Analyst and Assistant Manager in Corporate Banking at Diamond Trust Bank Kenya.

He has been actively involved in the startup ecosystem through his work at the Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC), where he supported incubation, acceleration, investment readiness, and early-stage financing for climate-smart startup enterprises.

A Kenyan national, John holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Finance from the University of Nairobi and is a Certified Public Accountant. He has also completed a program in Technology Commercialization at the University of Texas at Austin.