Kibirigi Rachel
Full-Stack / Backend Engineer
I design and ship production APIs and the interfaces on top of them — Python, FastAPI, TypeScript, and Next.js — for my own products and for clients.
I build backend systems and the interfaces that sit on them. The work runs from data models and APIs through deployment and the years of maintenance that follow — Python and TypeScript, most often FastAPI and Next.js.
The path here was not a straight line into product. I started in networks and servers, spent time on IoT connectivity data at SoftBank in Tokyo, then turned that systems instinct toward shipping software people actually run: finance tools, storefronts, and platforms organisations can update themselves.
What I care about in a system is the same whether it is my product or a commission: clear ownership of data, boring-reliable auth and payments, and a deploy that still makes sense six months later.
Lately I have been studying agent-based LLM workflows — model reasoning, tool use, and step-by-step execution — as an extension of that interest in systems that decide carefully and fail in a known way.
Outside of software I read, practice art, Ikebana, and karate. Those habits show up in how I work: patience, balance, and as much attention to process as to the finished thing.
Stack
- Backend & APIs
- FastAPINode.jsExpressREST API DesignGraphQLSQLAlchemyAlembic
- Databases
- PostgreSQLMySQLMongoDBPrismaSupabase
- Cloud & DevOps
- DockerGitHub Actions (CI/CD)LinuxFly.ioRenderVercelSentry
- Languages
- PythonTypeScriptJavaScriptSQLBash
- Testing
- PytestVitestReact Testing Library
- Frontend
- ReactNext.js (App Router)ViteTailwind CSSZustand
- AI & Data
- OpenAI APITesseract OCRLLM workflows
- Networking
- TCP/IPCisco IOSVLANsOSPFSTP
- IoT & Systems
- Raspberry PiArduino
Networks and servers, IoT data, then an independent practice shipping APIs and the products on top of them.
Independent practice
2023 → Present- Design, ship, and maintain production web systems in FastAPI, Next.js, Node.js, and TypeScript — finance, commerce, healthcare, and commissioned platforms.
- Take work from the first requirements conversation through launch and upkeep: authentication, payments, OCR, LLM-assisted features, and the database workflows underneath.
- Run deployments on Docker, GitHub Actions, Vercel, and Render, and stay with the systems after they are live.
IoT Systems & Data Analysis Intern · SoftBank Corp., Tokyo
2021 → 2022- Analyzed connection-performance data for 500,000+ IoT SIMs and eSIMs across 100+ countries, using data platforms and Python to identify routing anomalies and systemic latency.
- Performed root-cause analysis across 30+ international telecom partners and evaluated bandwidth, roaming behavior, and data pricing to support vendor and procurement decisions.
IT Infrastructure & Networking · Arcmark Uganda Ltd. & Coseke Uganda
2015 → 2019- Supported network and server operations across 10+ commercial sites, configuring 40+ enterprise devices and installing and testing 5+ km of fiber-optic and Cat6 cabling.
- Maintained server and storage infrastructure for document digitization systems processing 100,000+ pages daily; provisioned 10+ enterprise servers and supported 200+ users.
Education
M.S. Information Systems· Kobe Institute of Computing
2019 → 2021Bachelor of Information Technology· International University of East Africa
2013 → 2016
Selected systems I have designed and shipped: product APIs, commerce, commissioned platforms, healthcare, and research.
Product APIs
Auth, data modelling, and services that stay up after the first deploy.
Baresente — Personal Finance API with OCR and LLM Insights
Full-stack personal finance application (previously CalenCents) supporting budgeting, expense tracking, and savings goals, built on FastAPI, PostgreSQL, Next.js, and Docker.
A ~35-endpoint API across nine routers, with user-scoped data, receipt OCR, and cached LLM spending insights that fall back deterministically when the model is unavailable.
FastAPIPostgreSQLSQLAlchemyAlembicDockerGitHub Actions (CI/CD)PytestProphet
Commerce
Catalogs, checkout, webhooks, and the admin tools that keep stock honest.
NS Crochet — Artisan Storefront and Admin CMS
Production e-commerce platform for Ugandan artisans selling handmade crochet, built on Next.js with Prisma, PostgreSQL, and Flutterwave.
Shipped the storefront and admin CMS end-to-end, including a reversible production currency migration across data, pricing, admin forms, and payment integration.
Next.js (App Router)TypeScriptPrismaPostgreSQLSupabaseFlutterwaveWebhooksTailwind CSSLuxLather — Full-Stack eCommerce Platform
Production-ready e-commerce web application built with React (Vite, TypeScript), Node.js, Express, and MongoDB.
Enabled reliable product management and purchasing through an admin dashboard, Stripe payments, improved checkout flow, and tested cart/order state.
Case studyLive site (opens in new tab)API (opens in new tab)API source (opens in new tab)Web source (opens in new tab)Node.jsExpressMongoDBStripeCloudinaryJWTReactVite
Client platforms
Sites a business can run themselves — contact pipelines, CMS, handover docs.
Auxesis Group — Trilingual Corporate Site and CMS
Corporate website for a holding and consultancy firm in Kigali, Rwanda, with English, French, and Kinyarwanda locales and a Supabase-backed CMS.
Handed the client a multilingual site they can update themselves, with HMAC-signed sessions, image uploads, and a static fallback when the database is unreachable.
Next.js (App Router)TypeScriptnext-intlSupabasePostgreSQLSMTPTailwind CSSVercelKREN Construction — Corporate Site with Contact API
Public website for a building and civil works contractor in Kampala, Uganda, built with Next.js 16, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS v4, and Framer Motion.
Gave the contractor a credible public presence with a working enquiry pipeline, deployed close to its East African audience.
Next.js (App Router)TypeScriptTailwind CSSFramer MotionResendVercelSEOHerRise — NGO Platform with Authenticated CMS
Production NGO platform with public pages and an authenticated admin CMS backed by Supabase PostgreSQL, Auth, and Storage.
Gave the organisation a site they can update themselves, with Row Level Security so the public can read and only admins can write.
ReactViteTypeScriptSupabasePostgreSQLRow Level SecurityGitHub Actions (CI/CD)
Healthcare
Role-based records and booking, with access control as a first-class concern.
Health Management System
MERN-based healthcare web application built with TypeScript to manage appointments and patient records.
Replaced manual booking workflows with secure patient and doctor dashboards using role-based access control and Appwrite authentication.
Case studyNo public demoNode.jsExpressMongoDBAppwriteReactTypeScriptTailwind CSSSentry
Research & IoT
Hardware prototypes and applied research that sit outside a typical web stack.
Njuna — IoT Women’s Safety System
Graduate IoT research project focused on a women’s safety system using hardware prototyping and mobile integration.
Demonstrated how connected devices and real-time alerts can support personal safety use cases through applied IoT design.
Case studyNo public demoIoTRaspberry PiArduinoPythonMobile IntegrationPrototypingApplied Research
