Mercy Buku joined Safaricom Limited in December 2010 as the senior manager, money laundering reporting officer, and is charged with the responsibility for overseeing the anti-money laundering function for M-pesa and related financial services offered by Safaricom Limited, which is a mobile telephone network and mobile money service provider in Kenya.

Buku is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, Commissioner for Oaths and a Notary Public, and was admitted to the Kenyan Bar in December 1989. She is a member of the Law Society of Kenya and the East African Law Society. In addition to being a Certified Anti-money Laundering Specialist, she has an AML certification from the International Compliance Association (UK) and is also an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (UK). She has also undertaken various financial law certification courses with Euromoney Training in the UK and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Financial Law.

Buku has 23 years of experience in corporate and retail banking law and practice, and in the last five years has specialized in compliance and anti-money laundering enforcement.

Buku started her career as a state counsel in the Attorney General’s Chambers (State Law Office) in Kenya, prior to joining the private sector, and has held various positions in the legal, compliance, operational and risk management areas in the banking and telecommunications industry. Prior to joining Safaricom, Buku served as legal officer, and head of legal and compliance in CFC Stanbic Bank Limited, the Eastern and Southern African Development (PTA) Bank and Co-operative Bank of Kenya Limited.

Buku has extensive practice as a trainer in banking law and practice, compliance and anti-money laundering and has made presentations at various AML workshops and conferences sponsored by AAFI, World Bank and ESAAMLAG. In addition, she has also contributed articles on Mobile Money and Financial Integrity to the University of Washington Law Journal and the ACAMS Today magazine.