Web Developer & SRE

Hi, I'm Mwikyo.

Let's talk about

Multidisciplinary workman who hacks at, makes and occasionally breaks things.

SRE on the team behind safeboda.com.

Less moody in real life. ✌️

Scroll
About Me

About

I'm Derrick Daniel Mwikyo, but you can just call me Danny.

I'm from Uganda 🇺🇬. For the last three years, I've been honing my skills in web development, payments, technical support and systems reliability roles, building products for the web, and companies.

I strive to create elegant solutions that surprise and delight users.

I work with an agile development team of 30 people, with product lifecycles spanning multiple years.

Depending on the team, resources, and deliverables, I've worn many hats over the years.

Do you have an interesting project? Let's talk.

My Experience

Resume

DERRICK DANIEL MWIKYO

Systems Reliability Engineer
mwikyo.github.io/portfolio • Kampala, Uganda

SUMMARY

I am an experienced Systems Reliability Engineer with over four years of expertise in maintaining system performance, optimizing processes through automation, and troubleshooting complex technical issues. Experienced in AWS, PostgreSQL, Bash scripting, Python, and JavaScript, Kubernetes. I ensure system reliability and scalability by automating workflows, writing efficient code, and analyzing performance data. I have a strong track record of training teams, collaborating cross-functionally, and delivering data-driven insights to improve overall system performance.

KEY SKILLS

System & Application Reliability: Expertise in monitoring and improving system uptime and performance using advanced tools and methodologies.

AWS: Managing and optimising cloud-based infrastructure.

Kubernetes: Experience managing containerised applications.

Programming/Scripting: Proficiency in scripting languages such as Python and Bash, which is important for automating processes and handling configurations.

API Integrations: Developing automated workflows and resolving technical issues through API endpoints.

SQL/Performance Monitoring: Experience analysing logs, metrics, and writing SQL queries for performance analysis, database management and system optimisation.

Team Training & Documentation: Leading technical training sessions and creating documentation for internal knowledge sharing.

Customer-Centric Problem Solving: Experience working closely with customers to solve technical issues and optimize their workflows.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Systems Reliability Engineer

SafeBoda — Jul 2023 - Present

Automated critical system operations using Python, JavaScript, and Bash scripting to enhance efficiency and reduce manual workloads.

Migrated internal tools to more cost-effective solutions, reducing operational expenses and improving system efficiency.

Managed containerised applications on Kubernetes and AWS, ensuring system reliability and scalability.

Conducted performance analysis using logs, metrics, and SQL queries, identifying areas for system optimisation and implementing solutions.

Collaborated closely with engineering teams to troubleshoot critical issues and develop long-term solutions for system stability.

Developed custom API workflows with Postman to automate internal processes, resulting in faster issue resolution and improved service delivery.

Led training sessions for internal teams on advanced troubleshooting techniques, effective bug escalation, and performance optimization methods.

Product Support Associate & Engineer

SafeBoda — Jul 2021 - Jul 2023

Trained internal teams on effective troubleshooting, issue escalation, and report writing.

Analysed system performance using SQL/PostgreSQL queries and provided actionable insights to enhance system reliability.

Worked closely with third-party vendors and internal engineering teams to troubleshoot and resolve critical product issues.

Prepared detailed, data-driven reports to provide accurate feedback to internal teams and escalate unresolved issues as necessary.

Payments Associate

SafeBoda — Oct 2020 - Jul 2021

Managed financial processes, including preparing and reviewing payment packages, and maintained accurate financial documentation.

Optimised and setup data analysis tools to study business growth, providing recommendations to enhance financial performance.

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Development Studies

Kyambogo University

2015 - 2018

Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education

Nyakasura School

2013 - 2014

Uganda Certificate of Education

Valley College

2009 - 2012

CERTIFICATIONS

Computer Programming
Progate.com
2019 - 2020

Certificates in JavaScript, React, Html & Css, Sass, Git and Command Line

Site Reliability Engineering: Measuring and Managing Reliability

Learning SQL Programming

Google IT Support

REST API Testing & Automation using Postman

Excel for Business Analysts

Agile Leadership and Resilient Teams

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

Technical Troubleshooting and Problem-Solving.

Scripting and Automation.

Database and Performance Monitoring.

APIs and Integration Troubleshooting.

Documentation and Knowledge Sharing.

Customer Communication and Support.

Continuous Improvement and Optimization.

From Systems Reliability Engineering to Web Development.

Mostly a trip down memory lane. To be expanded one day.

My Thoughts

Here lies my blog

Medium Published on Medium

Automating RDS Snapshots with AWS Lambda and Managing Retention.

Whether you’re dealing with production, staging or other development environments, regular backups of your RDS (Relational Database Service) instances are essential. Automating these backups with a Lambda function simplifies the entire process, ensuring your data is safely stored while managing storage costs by setting up custom retention periods.

AWS Lambda AWS RDS AWS RDS Snapshot Automation
Read full article 7 min read

More articles coming soon...

Get In Touch

Contact

Location:

Kampala, Uganda