The M-Pesa Foundation has launched Wezesha Mama, an ambitious nationwide programme aimed at empowering women’s groups across Kenya with comprehensive business support and financial resources. Announced on June 5, 2025, during the M-PESA Sokoni Festival at Mombasa Sports Club, this initiative represents a significant milestone as the Foundation celebrates 15 years of community transformation in Kenya.
Programme Overview and Objectives
Wezesha Mama targets over 500 registered women’s groups nationwide, providing them with essential business development tools and resources. The programme encompasses financial and digital literacy training, business development and planning support, marketing guidance, branding assistance, and product improvement strategies. This comprehensive approach addresses the multifaceted challenges that women entrepreneurs face in growing their enterprises.
The initiative aligns with the Foundation’s broader mission of community empowerment, recognizing that women’s economic advancement creates ripple effects throughout entire communities. As Nicholas Nganga, Chairman of M-Pesa Foundation, emphasized during the launch, “Wezesha Mama is not just a programme, it is a movement to equip women-led groups with the tools they need to succeed. When women rise, entire communities rise.”
Financial Incentives and Recognition Structure
The programme features a competitive element designed to motivate excellence and sustained engagement. Over the 12-month duration, participating groups will compete for substantial grants distributed across five regions throughout Kenya. The top three performing groups from each region will receive grants of KES 500,000, KES 300,000, and KES 200,000 respectively, providing significant financial support for their business activities.
Beyond monetary rewards, successful participants will join the M-PESA Mama Network, creating a nationwide community of women entrepreneurs focused on shared growth and peer learning. This network structure ensures that the programme’s impact extends beyond the initial 12-month period, fostering long-term collaboration and knowledge sharing among participants.
Building on Proven Success
Wezesha Mama builds upon M-Pesa Foundation’s established track record in women’s empowerment initiatives. The Foundation has previously partnered with organizations such as Hand in Hand East Africa and Rose Women Foundation, successfully helping thousands of women access business training and financing opportunities. These partnerships demonstrate the Foundation’s commitment to leveraging collaborative approaches for maximum impact.
The programme’s launch coincides with similar initiatives across Kenya’s development landscape. Safaricom Foundation’s Wezesha Agri-Eco Hub Project recently launched a KES 120 million initiative targeting youth empowerment in Busia County, while Equity Group’s partnership with the African Guarantee Fund has committed USD 500 million toward MSME financing, with particular focus on women-owned businesses.
Strategic Implementation and National Reach
The programme’s rollout strategy demonstrates careful planning and nationwide coverage. Beginning at the coast and expanding across all 47 counties, Wezesha Mama ensures equitable access to opportunities regardless of geographical location. This comprehensive geographic approach addresses the urban-rural divide that often limits access to business development resources.
The timing of the launch during the M-PESA Sokoni Festival underscores the integration of this initiative with M-PESA’s broader 18th anniversary celebrations. The festival, running for two months, highlights M-PESA’s transformative impact on Kenya’s digital and financial landscape, providing an appropriate backdrop for announcing this women-focused empowerment programme.
Expected Impact and Community Transformation
Wezesha Mama represents more than individual business support; it embodies a community transformation strategy recognizing women as catalysts for broader economic development. By targeting registered women’s groups rather than individual entrepreneurs, the programme leverages existing social structures and collective action mechanisms that have proven effective in Kenyan communities.
The programme’s comprehensive approach, combining training, financial support, and networking opportunities, addresses the interconnected challenges that limit women’s business growth. Digital literacy training becomes particularly relevant in Kenya’s increasingly digitized economy, while marketing and branding support helps groups compete more effectively in local and regional markets.
The initiative’s focus on peer learning through the M-PESA Mama Network creates sustainable impact beyond the programme’s formal duration. This network structure ensures knowledge transfer, mutual support, and continued collaboration among participants, potentially creating lasting change in how women’s groups approach business development and growth.
Through Wezesha Mama, M-Pesa Foundation continues its legacy of community empowerment while addressing specific challenges facing women entrepreneurs in Kenya’s evolving economic landscape.
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