A Transformative Investment in Kenya's Future

NAIROBI – The M-Pesa Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Safaricom, on Monday, 3 November 2025, unveiled a landmark KSh 30 billion education initiative aimed at fundamentally transforming Kenya's learning landscape over the next five years. The programme, named 'Citizens of the Future', represents one of the most significant private-sector interventions in the nation's education sector, targeting critical gaps in digital literacy, infrastructure, and access to schooling.

The comprehensive plan will be rolled out across all 47 counties and is built on three core pillars: providing 10,000 scholarships for students in senior secondary and tertiary institutions; upgrading the infrastructure of more than 600 schools; and enhancing the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) skills of teachers to align with modern educational demands.

Addressing the Digital and Infrastructure Deficit

The initiative arrives at a critical juncture for Kenya's education system, which, despite significant government investment, continues to face challenges such as inadequate teaching materials, outdated infrastructure, and a persistent digital divide between urban and rural areas. According to a 2019 census, only 4% of primary school learners and 23.9% of secondary learners used the internet, with significant disparities between rural and urban students. Safaricom's investment aims to directly address these disparities by developing model institutions referred to as “Schools of the Future.”

Speaking at the launch event, Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa stated that the programme consolidates the company's various educational efforts into a unified strategy. “We have developed education interventions that seek to bridge the gap through innovation and material support,” Ndegwa said. “Under the Citizens of the Future Program, we are consolidating our initiatives to ease access to education from early learning to technical and vocational training in an initial investment of about KES 30 billion in the next five years.”

These future-focused schools will feature modern, sustainably built infrastructure, integrated technology, and a strong emphasis on inclusivity for learners with special needs.

A Collaborative Approach to National Development

The 'Citizens of the Future' programme is designed to work in synergy with government efforts. In the 2023/2024 financial year, Kenya's education sector received an allocation of KSh 628.6 billion, accounting for 4.7% of the nation's GDP. While this figure is above the UNESCO minimum threshold, it falls short of the recommended 15-20% of total public expenditure, highlighting the crucial role of private sector partnerships.

Nicholas Nganga, Chairman of the M-PESA Foundation, emphasized the transformative ambition of the project. “We are witnesses to what quality education can do for communities and therefore owe our learners and teachers an enhanced experience. We are going beyond supplementing education to transforming it,” he stated.

M-PESA Foundation Trustee Michael Joseph added that the launch, coinciding with Safaricom's 25th anniversary, is a defining moment. “Our objective under Citizens of the Future is to enable every region to have a model institution that not only trains for academic excellence, but to mould future-ready learners through digital integration,” Joseph remarked.

Public Participation and Future Impact

To ensure community involvement, the M-Pesa Foundation has invited the public to nominate deserving schools for the programme through a dedicated portal, citizenofthefuture.org, until 30 November 2025. This initiative builds upon the foundations' previous investments of over KSh 29 billion in education, which have reportedly impacted more than 4 million learners across Kenya.

By focusing on scholarships for secondary and tertiary students, the programme will directly support the transition to higher education and vocational training, equipping young Kenyans with the skills needed for a competitive global market. The emphasis on teacher training in ICT is also critical for the successful implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) and for preparing students to navigate an increasingly digital world. The success of this ambitious five-year plan will be measured by its ability to create a more equitable and effective education system, fostering a new generation of innovators and leaders for Kenya and the broader East Africa region.