Safaricom Sets Aside KSh 30 Billion To Bridge Gaps in Educational Access

Kenya, 30 October 2025 - As Safaricom prepares to celebrate its silver jubilee, it has unveiled a major initiative aimed at enhancing education and training across Kenya over the next five years.

The telco giant announced on Thursday that through the M-PESA Foundation, it is running a programme dubbed “Citizens of the Future”.

The programme's goal is to upgrade infrastructure in approximately 600 educational institutions, provide digital skills training for teachers, and award scholarships to more than 10,000 students in senior secondary and tertiary education.

Already, the company has invested KSh 30 billion (£180 million) in that ambitious scheme as it seeks to bridge gaps in educational access and quality, from early childhood learning to vocational training.

Safaricom Chief Executive Officer Peter Ndegwa emphasised the focus on innovation and support.

“We have developed education interventions that seek to bridge the gap through innovation and material support. Under the Citizens of the Future Programme, we are consolidating our initiatives to ease access to education from early learning to technical and vocational training,” Ndegwa said.

Central to the programme is the creation of “Schools of the Future” – model institutions featuring sustainable modern infrastructure, integrated technology, and provisions for inclusivity, particularly for learners with special needs

This comes amid ongoing challenges in Kenya’s education system, despite significant government funding.

In the 2023/24 financial year, the sector received KSh 628.6 billion, representing 20.7% of national revenue and 4.7% of GDP – exceeding UNESCO’s minimum threshold of 4%, but falling short of the recommended 15–20% of public expenditure.

Decades of investment and reforms have not fully addressed issues such as insufficient funding per pupil and a shortage of teaching materials, which hinder the development of learning environments suited to the digital era.

The government is increasingly turning to private-sector partnerships for resources, technical expertise, and capacity building to better prepare students for a competitive job market.

M-PESA Foundation Chairman Nicholas Nganga highlighted the transformative potential of the programme.

“We are witness to what quality education can do for communities and therefore owe our learners and teachers an enhanced experience,” Nganga said.

He said the world is increasingly driven by digital advancements and, consequently, the traditional classroom must evolve into something far more dynamic.

“We are going beyond supplementing education to transforming it.”

The integration of technology into classrooms is expected to enrich teaching and learning, fostering adaptability in a rapidly changing socio-economic landscape.

Michael Joseph, a trustee of the M-PESA Foundation, said the move is significant during Safaricom’s milestone anniversary.

“This does indeed come at a defining moment, as we are celebrating 25 years of Safaricom, a journey anchored on our enduring purpose to transform lives," Joseph said.

He added that their objective under Citizens of the Future is to enable every region to have a model institution that not only trains for academic excellence, but also to mould future-ready learners through digital integration.

Kenyans have a whole month to nominate deserving institutions via the website www.citizensofthefuture.org, with selections expected to follow established criteria.

The foundation’s previous investments, exceeding KSh 29 billion, have already benefited over four million learners in Kenya.