Senator Crystal Asige, Pula CEO Thomas Njeru featured on Time100 Next list

Nominated Senator Crystal Asige and Thomas Njeru, the co-founder and CEO of local agri-tech insurance firm Pula, are the only Kenyans featured on this year's TIME Magazine's Time100 Next list.

Now in its fifth year, the TIME100 Next list recognizes young and influential leaders who are making a positive impact on society and defining the next generation of leadership early in their lives.

Asige, 34, was recognised for her inspiring journey and impactful contributions as a leader with a disability.

"Senator Asige’s life is a master class in embracing the unexpected. Diagnosed with glaucoma as a teenager, Asige rose to prominence as a formidable politician in Kenya—after first gracing the airwaves as an award-­winning singer. With every twist and turn, she has charted a course that defies categorization," wrote South African disability rights advocate Eddie Ndopu for the TIME Magazine feature.

"Since taking office, she has helped pass bills to uplift people with disabilities, including a tax break for parents and caregivers of kids with disabilities, and new support for Kenyan sign language. Senator Asige is a true Renaissance woman, proving that being disabled is compatible with an extraordinary life."

Taking to X after the recognition, Asige expressed overwhelming excitement and gratitude for being featured in the list.

"WHAT! I am screaming. I have no clue how my work travelled around the world and landed in front of TIME, but naming me in their 2024 #TIME100NEXT list of influential leaders shaping the future of their fields and defining the next generation of leadership is wild, and you are all right at the centre of this acknowledgement," said the Nominated Senator.

"Thank you for helping me show the world that young, quirky people can also create impact! I just want to speak to the underdogs who feel like what they want is impossible. Please, please keep putting one foot in front of the other however dark it might be - I PROMISE, you were made for a time such as this on purpose and for purpose!"

Njeru, on the other hand, was lauded for his innovative work in transforming Kenya's agricultural insurance landscape through Pula.

"Smallholder farmers are often just one drought or flood away from a crisis. As the global climate shifts to be hotter and less predictable, the risk they face only stands to grow. Pula’s insurance payouts, totaling over $120 million (Ksh.15.5 billion), allow them to bounce back more quickly," wrote Time Magazine reporter Harry Booth.

"Pula leverages on-the-ground and satellite data with its own AI models to calculate premiums, keeping costs low. This innovative approach gives financial institutions the confidence to extend credit to farmers - leading to a 16% rise in investment and an impressive 56% yield boost for Pula-insured farms."

The feature added: "In the spring, Pula itself secured $20 million (Ksh.2.3 billion) from investors - a sizable sum Njeru plans to put toward a rapid expansion, with the goal of reaching 100 million small-scale farmers by 2029."