Hi, I'm
Emmanuel Gatwech
— Eman.
Building production systems, teaching through writing, and exploring how technology truly works
Software engineer from South Sudan with six years of experience designing backend systems, payment infrastructure, and AI-powered products. Built a medical lab system processing over one hundred thousand tests, architected event-driven platforms for clients across Europe and Africa, co-founded Nabta Labs, and won the MTN Mobile Money Hackathon with Sahil.
I approach every project by first understanding the problem deeply. The constraints, the unknowns, and the people involved. That philosophy has shaped everything I build. But building is only half the story. I also teach. I write detailed, hands-on guides that strip away the buzzwords and show how things actually work. I am currently writing a series on databases, algorithms, and problem solving. Outside of engineering, I study Neuroscience and evolutionary biology, exploring how early human cognition and cooperation evolved.
Key Highlights
Designed event-driven payment and notification infrastructure for clients across Europe and Africa
Writing deep, hands-on technical guides on RAG, databases, and algorithms from first principles
Currently building a fintech and payments application using Go, and exploring Rust and local AI
Where I've Worked. Impact across continents.
From medical labs in Kampala to payment infrastructure for European clients, I've built production systems that solve real problems. Each role taught me something about reliability, scale, and the human side of software.
Roles held
6
Since
2020
Teams across
3 continents
Freelance Software Engineer
Delivering backend systems and infrastructure for clients across Europe and Africa. Most engagements under NDA.
- iDesigned payment architectures that let clients swap providers or support multiple simultaneously without rewriting business logic. Built anti-corruption layers that isolate domain logic from external payment APIs.
- iiBuilt notification infrastructure with isolated delivery channels. Failures in email never block push notifications, and every notification gets an audit trail for debugging and compliance.
- iiiEmbedded retrieval-augmented generation into products where trust is critical. Grounded LLM responses in proprietary knowledge bases with source citations. Made AI outputs verifiable enough for production use.
- ivEliminated an entire class of bugs caused by frontend and backend type drift. Built automated type generation from database schemas to OpenAPI to TypeScript clients. The stack stays consistent without manual synchronization.
Projects. A showcase of my recent work and collaborations.
From class assignments as a student from my undergrad days to life changing software.
Web Platforms
6
Open Source
5
Core Stack
React
TypeScript
Svelte
Node
Mahakama
Mahakama (Swahili/Arabic for 'Court') is an AI-powered legal empowerment platform that delivers instant, plain-language answers to legal questions. It features a RAG-based legal assistant with multi-LLM architecture (Gemini and Ollama), vector search for document retrieval, and speech-based queries.
What I've Tried. Building from zero.
Founding a logistics platform that won the MTN MoMo Hackathon. Co‑founding a legal tech lab. Every venture taught me that shipping fast and talking to users beats perfect code.
Total Ventures
2
Active
2
Sahil
Logistics and supply chain platform connecting small businesses with suppliers and customers in emerging markets.
- iSpearheaded development from ideation to raising $5,000 in funding within two months.
- iiIntegrated Google Maps APIs for delivery route optimization and built recommendation algorithms to match businesses with suppliers.
- iiiTargeting businesses with lower digital literacy and limited internet access, bridging the gap between traditional logistics and modern digital platforms.
Still reading through everything? You are an absolute legend.
We've officially made it past all the formal background checks, engineering milestones, and portfolio items. What's left below is the fun, open-book layer—my long-form essays, core driving philosophies, and the personal curiosities that keep me building.
Behind the profile
[I]When I'm not working, I spend my time in rabbitholes, binge-watching documentaries on YouTube.
Still reading through everything? You are an absolute legend.
We've officially made it past all the formal background checks, engineering milestones, and portfolio items. What's left below is the fun, open-book layer—my long-form essays, core driving philosophies, and the personal curiosities that keep me building.
Writings. Building systems from first principles
I write detailed, hands-on guides that strip away the buzzwords. My RAG series starts with five objects in an array. My database series builds a toy database from scratch. No magic. Just understanding.
Total Articles
3
Active Series
RAG (5 parts)
Databases (3 parts)
Algorithms (1 part)
Primary Focus
First-principles Learning
No articles found.
Subscribe to My Substack
My Substack unravels human evolution and life's patterns. Discover thoughtful inquiry into ancient instincts shaping modern innovation. From 'The Erectus Protocol' to 'Contextual Spiral' and more books.
About Me. The Silent Narrator: Engineer by Trade, Storyteller by Nature.
Hey, I'm Eman, a software developer from South Sudan who is driven by a passion to change the world and become a polymath. I like to design technical systems around how humans actually think and work. I've built production software across healthcare, AI, and logistics while developing systematic approaches to user-centered architecture. Currently combining engineering work with neuroscience studies at Arizona State University.
Location
Kigali, Rwanda
Experience
6+ years
Interests
Open Source
My Engineering Philosophy
My path as a software engineer is rooted in a deep conviction that technology's true power lies in its ability to solve real problems and enhance lives. I champion a user-centric approach, beginning with understanding the 'What,' 'How,' and 'Why' of a problem, knowing that a well-defined challenge is already 50% of the solution.
Beyond the Code: The Silent Narrator
When I step away from the keyboard, I transform into “The Silent Narrator”, crafting stories where actions speak louder than words. My unique writing style eschews dialogue completely, focusing instead on how characters reveal themselves through their deeds.
My curiosity extends beyond technical learning; it's a fascination with the underlying ‘rhythms’ of systems and human behavior, constantly seeking patterns and lessons from both our past and present.
Vision for Impact
My particular focus lies in leveraging technology to navigate the unique challenges prevalent in Africa and create sustainable opportunities for the next generation of innovators.
My work is informed by a desire to build solutions that not only exist but also thrive in complex environments, making a tangible difference in communities and contributing to a future shaped by thoughtful, impactful engineering.
You've seen the full scope
From data pipelines to RAG systems, from healthcare to fintech. I'm ready to bring this breadth of experience to a team that builds with intention.