- Byron Osiro began his career as an intern in Kampala, where successfully installing a client’s LAN system earned him a place on the payroll
- Osiro later shifted from IT support to IT sales, where he has achieved immense success working for global tech giants
- Osiro says there is high demand in the Kenyan market, but long procurement cycles, price sensitivity, and customer “ghosting” are major hurdles for salespeople
Elijah Ntongai, an editor at TUKO.co.ke, has over four years of financial, business, and technology research and reporting experience, providing insights into Kenyan, African, and global trends.
Today, Byron Osiro is a decorated sales and experienced digital transformation leader with global tech giants.
Source: UGC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
He worked for seven years at Oracle Corporation and now practises his trade at SAP.
In his journey, he has earned top honours, including the Oracle President’s Club/Club Excellence award for delivering more than 200% of annual sales targets.
The man closing multimillion-shilling tech deals today began at the bottom, according to Osiro’s account in an exclusive interview with TUKO.co.ke.
From lowly intern into the payroll
His first pay cheque was just Ugx 40,000 (about KSh 1,430) back in Kampala, Uganda, where he worked as a sales intern at Integrated Computers and Electronics Ltd in 2002/03.
But everything changed the day a client bought computers, a printer, and a switch, then demanded immediate LAN installation. The senior staff couldn’t do it, so the boss turned to the intern.
“A client came and bought computers, a network printer and a switch and asked that we go install a LAN (Local Area Network) at his home for his research team. When we got on-site, the senior staff was not able to do it. The boss gave me the crimping tool and asked me to sort it out. I did it and confirmed that all was well by printing the test page on the network printer. This got me on the payroll immediately, just weeks into the internship, as an IT Support Technician,” Osiro recalls.
This was a turning point that revealed that he could learn fast, and he could deliver under pressure during the early years of digitisation, long before high-speed fibre, before 4G or 5G, and before AI automated diagnostics.
“Back then, we did not have AI to enable machines and computers to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence as we do now. You had to have been trained formally or at least studied systems to know how to troubleshoot and resolve various system issues. Internet was also delivered through very slow speed, dial-up systems as opposed to the current high-speed 4G and 5G fibre optic connections,” he said.
How did Osiro get into IT sales?
Osiro is a Computer Scientist, having earned a Diploma in Computer Science and a Bachelors Degree in IT and Computing at Kyambogo University in Kampala, Uganda, and also taken the Cisco CCNA Certification.
Despite a solid foundation in Computer Science, Osiro eventually pivoted to IT sales, and his technical grounding became his biggest advantage because he could understand customer problems and speak to them with credibility.
Today, he sells complex cloud ERP systems with sales cycles stretching from 6 to 24 months and previously sold Oracle database systems, deals that could take up to eight months to close.
“My IT background makes it easier to understand different technological concepts like networks and security, database systems and ways to optimise the same. However, the IT world is very diverse, and systems change daily. I am now in an area where I am selling Cloud ERP systems, a total shift from what I studied back in University. So one has to keep unlearning and relearning to keep abreast with the changes in the Technology world,” Osiro said.
Source: UGC
Osiro’s secret to successful sales
Osiro has earned awards for his success as an IT salesman, and he says that his secret has been discipline, strategy, and a unique sales philosophy to sell value, not features.
He said that many salespeople make the mistake of pushing solutions that customers don’t need, and through the years, he has understood that successful sales focuses on trust, relationships, and solving real pain points, even when it means helping without charging.
However, it is not as easy as it sounds, because in his book From Red to Green, Osiro chronicles the behind-the-scenes realities of sales.
Osiro explained to TUKO.co.ke that the book is not about the glamorous side of sales, but it goes beyond the boardrooms to talk about the betrayals, unpaid invoices, deals that collapse at the last minute, and the breakthrough moments that often come after bruising setbacks in the African markets.
He openly credits God for his journey, describing divine providence as central to every milestone he has achieved, and beyond numbers and targets, the book centres on the relationships, value-driven conversations, and destiny helpers, as he calls those who shaped his path.
The evolving tech landscape in Kenya
Osiro’s years of success selling IT systems in the East African region give him a sharp read on Kenya’s tech environment as well as the other markets.
Notably, the Kenyan market is vibrant, innovation-driven, and powered by financial technology and digital payments, such as M-Pesa, which remains a global benchmark, and digital lenders continue to multiply, with 153 licensed by September 2025.
Additionally, e-commerce in Kenya is projected to hit KSh 500 billion by 2027, and according to Osiro, Kenya’s superior GDP position, which is bigger than Tanzania’s and Uganda’s combined, gives its consumers stronger buying power and faster tech adoption.
“We all know about M-Pesa, which has been globally recognised as a leading, innovative solution from Kenya. Tech startups are raising hundreds of millions of US dollars to further launch new disruptive solutions in Digital banking, Agri-Tech, Insure-Tech, Ride hailing companies, to mention but a few,” Osiro said, highlighting the superiority of the Kenyan market in the region.
However, digital transformation remains uneven. Banking, telecoms, ICT, and agritech lead the charge, while SMEs and manufacturing still lag behind.
Osiro bluntly notes that adoption of cloud systems in the public sector is slower than expected, hindered by data sovereignty concerns and outdated procurement cultures.
What tech products are in high demand among businesses in Kenya?
From his experience in Kenya, demand for IT products is highest in digital payments, especially among SMEs, cloud computing, as many players are shifting from Capex-heavy infrastructure to SaaS models, and cybersecurity.
Osiro warned that cybersecurity remains largely misunderstood in the industry and that organisations have to ensure all the layers (network, application, database, and users) are secured, considering the rise in cyber threats targeting businesses in Kenya.
Source: UGC
How to succeed in sales
The supersalesman warned that despite the demand and the growing market, tech sales in Kenya are not for the faint-hearted.
Competition is intense, procurement cycles are painfully long (often up to two years), and many multinationals struggle with Kenyan customers who insist on local contracts, and sometimes, clients disappear.
“Yes, you get ghosted,” he laughs. “Sometimes when you’re closing, phones go silent.”
Osiro notes that price sensitivity is another big hurdle in sales, and he says that it is better to be straightforward and transparent early.
“It is important for customers to know upfront the price ranges for the solutions they intend to purchase. That way they budget correctly. Secondly, some solutions may have a high upfront cost but have lasting value in the long term and should therefore not be judged based on initial cost. I basically show customers their TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) and their ROI (Return On Investment), clearly articulating the benefits and when the same are to be derived,” he says.
According to Osiro, building trust is at the centre of any successful sale. Osiro said that these three principles have underpined his success over the years:
- Solve customer pain points first, even at no cost when necessary.
- Build genuine relationships, not transactional ones.
- Sell value, not what’s simply available.
The author told TUKO.co.ke that the views expressed in the interview are his and not representative of any organisations he represents or works for.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
