Nairobi · AI & full-stack engineering
Norah Labs designs, builds and runs AI agents, web and mobile platforms, and the cloud beneath them — then gives them the brand and story to launch.
What we do
01 — AI Engineering
agent · trace
02 — Full-Stack Engineering
03 — DevOps & Cloud
pipeline
04 — Creative & Communications
brand · motion · 3D
How we build
The principles behind the AI and full-stack products we ship — and where you can see them working.
agents
Every tool call, retrieval and decision is traceable. Approval gates sit where the stakes are.
plan → tool:search retrieve → rank → cite gate → human approve respond
↳ Atlarix: approval-gated agent workstation
safety
Dual guardrails and emergency detection ship with the first version, not the last.
↳ Tabibu Health
models
Hosted, open-weight or on-device models behind one interface, so you are never locked in.
↳ Atlarix: DeepSeek, Qwen, Kimi, MiniMax or your own keys
retrieval
Retrieval over trusted sources with citations, so users can check the work.
↳ Tabibu: Mayo Clinic, CDC, NIH, WHO citations
platform
CI/CD, observability and infrastructure as code are part of the build, not a later phase.
craft
Product, brand and motion are made by the same team that writes the code.
Selected work
AI and full-stack products we have designed and engineered end to end. Hover a card to watch the live product.
Faith & Community
LiveA church media platform for Teleios Centre — sermons, notes, and offline access, on mobile and web.
The studio
Norah Labs is an engineering studio in Nairobi. We build production AI systems, web and mobile platforms, and the cloud infrastructure beneath them — and we hold them to the standard of products people rely on.
Engineering that nobody can understand rarely gets used, so design and communications sit inside the same team. Our name comes from light: technology should clarify, not obscure.
Capability map
The team
Founder
Engineer, designer, media producer, and communications strategist. He leads product, design, and AI across the studio — building software with the eye of a creative director.
Co-Founder
A full-stack developer and DevOps specialist focused on scalable, reliable systems. Amariah combines AI/ML engineering with infrastructure automation, ensuring applications perform flawlessly from development to production.
Founded by John Alexander Kamau · Nairobi, Kenya · 2021
How we work
A product method that lines up user behaviour, technical architecture and business outcomes — and stays accountable after launch.
Users, constraints and success criteria first. We name the risks — data, safety, scale, cost — before choosing an architecture.
Architecture, code and design move together. Tests, evaluations and CI are part of the first commit, not a later phase.
We deploy, observe and iterate with you. Monitoring and guardrails stay on after launch, because production is where the work is proven.
Why Norah Labs
Engineering rigor and product judgment from day one — so what we build survives contact with real users.
Typical model
AI demos that impress in a meeting and never reach production
Models treated as magic: no evaluation, guardrails or traceability
Design and engineering handoffs that break continuity
Norah Labs model
We architect robust back ends AND ship AI features with evals and guardrails
We integrate cutting-edge models AND make sure they serve real user needs
We write production-ready code AND design experiences people understand
We ask "Can we build this?" AND "Should we, and how will humans experience it?"
Our differentiator
Technology that understands people.
High-caliber AI and full-stack engineering with thoughtful product design, delivered as one integrated discipline.
FAQ
Norah Labs is an AI and full-stack engineering studio based in Nairobi, Kenya. We build production AI agents, web and mobile platforms and cloud infrastructure, with design, motion and communications handled by the same team. The studio was founded in 2021 by John Alexander Kamau.
Four services: AI engineering (LLM agents, RAG, evaluation and guardrails), full-stack web and mobile development, DevOps and cloud infrastructure, and creative and communications (brand identity, motion, 3D, video, campaigns and PR).
Norah Labs was founded by John Alexander Kamau, an engineer, designer and communications strategist who leads product, design and AI. Amariah Abishai is co-founder, a full-stack developer and DevOps specialist focused on scalable, reliable systems.
We are based in Nairobi, Kenya, and partner with clients globally, from startups and technical founders to growing companies and organizations modernizing their systems.
Tabibu Health, an AI health companion for Africa giving evidence-based answers in English and Swahili; Atlarix, a local-first, approval-gated agent workstation that won the Amazon Nova AI Hackathon and is used by 77 developers across 12 countries; and Teleios Connect, a church media app with offline access. TradeEdge / MerchIQ and a smart hotel access system are in progress.
Yes. We build LLM agents that use tools, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) with source citations, and the evaluation, guardrails and monitoring around them. Tabibu Health, for example, uses LangChain and LangGraph with dual guardrails and emergency detection.
Use the contact form on norahlabs.com/contact or email norahlabs.hq@gmail.com with your goal, constraints and timeline. We typically respond within 24 hours with questions or a practical next step.
It depends on scope, so we do not publish fixed prices. Share what you are building and we reply with a practical plan covering approach, timeline and cost for your specific project.
Yes. Norah Labs is registered with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) in Kenya. To confirm our registration certificate, contact us.
Start a project
Bring the problem. We'll bring engineers, designers and a practical plan.
Contact
One conversation, one clear next step — whether it's an AI agent, a platform, or the infrastructure to run them.
We read every message, reply with questions or a first take, and agree a practical path from idea to production.
Location
Nairobi, Kenya • Building for Global Impact
Response Time
We typically respond within 24 hours
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