Safaricom, through its high-profile M-PESA Foundation, just announced an ambitious. and expensive, five-year education program with an initial KES 30 billion (approx. $225 million USD) investment. The initiative, which the company has branded “Citizens of the Future,” aims to upgrade the infrastructure and boost digital skills in over 600 Kenyan institutions. The plan also includes funding for more than 10,000 scholarships for students in senior secondary and tertiary institutions.
This isn’t just about new desks and paint. The program’s goal is to develop “model institutions” reflective of what Safaricom is calling “Schools of the Future.” The company says this concept involves modern, sustainably-built infrastructure, deep integration of technology into learning, and a strong emphasis on inclusivity for learners with special needs.
“We have developed education interventions that seek to bridge the gap through innovation and material support,” said Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa in a statement, confirming the KES 30 billion investment.
Filling the “Digital Age” Gap
The announcement frames this massive investment as a necessary intervention to address clear gaps in Kenya’s education system. The release points out that while the government’s 2023/24 education budget was a substantial KES 628.6 billion (20.7% of national revenue and 4.7% of GDP) – clearing the 4% minimum threshold set by UNESCO – it still falls short of the 15-20% of total public expenditure recommended by the same body.
Safaricom’s foundation identifies “inadequate capitation” and a “lack of teaching materials” as key challenges. It argues this situation is hampering the “requisite skilling to match human-capital requirements of the digital age.”
Essentially, the government is looking to the private sector for “synergies in resourcing, technical support and capacity strengthening,” and Safaricom is stepping in with a massive check and a tech-focused agenda.
“We are witness to what quality education can do for communities and therefore owe our learners and teachers an enhanced experience,” said Nicholas Nganga, Chairman of the M-PESA Foundation. “We are going beyond supplementing education to transforming it.”
Anniversary Ambition
The program’s timing is not accidental. Safaricom is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and the company is linking this multi-billion shilling program to its long-standing corporate slogan of “transforming lives.”
“This does indeed come at a defining moment, as we are celebrating 25 years of Safaricom,” said Michael Joseph, a Trustee of the M-PESA Foundation. Stripping away the corporate-speak, Joseph’s objective is to “enable every region have a model institution” that can “mould future-ready learners through digital integration.”
This new 30 billion shilling commitment is being added on top of a claimed KES 29 billion that Safaricom’s foundations have already invested in education, which the company says has impacted more than 4 million learners.
How It Will Work
The foundation isn’t just picking schools from a boardroom. Starting today, the public will have one month to nominate a learning institution of their choice through a new portal at https://www.citizenofthefuture.org/.
According to the release, deserving schools will then be shortlisted from the nominations based on set criteria to become beneficiaries.
