More vulnerable and needy students are seeking scholarship support from the Mpesa Foundation.
On Wednesday, the Director, Sustainability and Shared Value Karen Basiye said they only have 500 scholarships this year but they received 20,000 applications.
“The need is there. That's why all of us must work hard to assist at least one person, wherever you are,” Basiye told the press at Sankara hotel.
Basiye spoke even as Safaricom prepares to launch its Sustainable Business Report next week.
The M-PESA Foundation supports needy students mainly through the Citizens of the Future Programme (a partnership with the Safaricom Foundation) and the M-PESA.
These initiatives provide full secondary school scholarships, school infrastructure upgrades, and digital learning tools for vulnerable and high-achieving Kenyan students.
Basiye said her team do a lot of hard work trying to identify the beneficiaries.
She said they help building unique centres of innovation, and digital skills for teachers.
Basiye said when they launched and called for applications, they got almost 3,000 applications.
She said there are over 400 schools renovated so far since the project started in 2021.
Basiye said the move was to do away with dilapidated school infrastructure adding that every year, they build and refurbish abut 100 schools.
“This year, we've already approved almost 70.”
Basiye said they have almost 200 schools approved while 100 are done while 300 are in various stages of being done.
She said some of the beneficiaries of scholarship are needy cases highlighted in the media.
“So far, we have 400 children starting this year, 140 thereabout went to the academy and 260 are on our citizens of the future scholarship.”
Basiye said beneficiaries are educated through senior secondary school and even up to university or tertiary.
She said 1,000 have passed through M-Pesa Foundation Academy in the 10 years that they've been around.
Basiye committed to ensuring that 50 per cent of firm’s top leadership are women by 2030.
She said 44 per cent of top leadership currently are women.
On waste management, Basiye said they have partnered with some of the recycling firms to address the menace of electronic waste.
Safaricom in sustainable business report covering 2025 said through the Safaricom and M-PESA Foundations, they have impacted over 8 million Kenyans, focusing on health, education, and economic empowerment.
The firm said by leveraging technology, we have provided learners in remote areas with access to services such as digital learning.
It said its Daktari Smart telemedicine programme has provided specialist care to over 22,000 children in underserved areas.
The telco said through its partnership with the Government of Kenya, we are accelerating the achievement of various SDGs such as no poverty, good health and well-being, quality education, decent work and economic growth and partnership for goals.
The firm said it had grown 2,340,600 trees planted in 22,340.6ha, engaging 4,416 Community Forest Associations.
Safaricom said it has collected and recycled190.753 tonnes of e-waste while 41 schools in Laikipia and Nyandarua counties benefited from Safaricom school regreening programme.
The firm said its journey toward achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050 is underpinned by a science-based, data-driven strategy that reflects its commitment to climate leadership and responsible business.
