Safaricom Foundation Scholarship Program in Kenya: How It Works

Two levels of support

Safaricom Foundation runs scholarship programmes at both secondary and university level, funded through Safaricom PLC and its M-PESA Foundation arm. The two programmes target different stages of education and have separate application routes, so confirm which one fits you before you apply.

Secondary school scholarships

In 2021 Safaricom Foundation set aside KES 40 million to support 100 students through secondary school across more than 90 learning institutions countrywide, selected from applicants to the M-PESA Foundation Academy who missed out on places due to capacity limits, according to a Safaricom press release . Selection picks students from needy backgrounds, with 2 students chosen from each county, and remaining slots reserved for students living with disabilities.

Award coverage follows the standard pattern for Kenyan secondary scholarships: tuition, and in most cases boarding, for the full secondary cycle.

University and tertiary scholarships

At university level, Safaricom Foundation funds talented Kenyan students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, with priority given to STEM fields, healthcare courses, and students from marginalized communities. Safaricom Foundation does not publish a standing university-level application window, check safaricomfoundation.org and citizenofthefuture.org for open calls rather than assuming a fixed annual deadline.

M-PESA Foundation TVET partnerships

The M-PESA Foundation also funds technical and vocational training directly with individual institutions. In September 2024, M-PESA Foundation and the University of Embu launched a comprehensive TVET scholarship programme, an example of how the Foundation extends support beyond its main scholarship cycle through institutional partnerships. Watch for similar announcements from other universities and TVET institutions if the main scholarship cycle does not fit your course or timeline.

Citizens of the Future programme

Safaricom's Citizens of the Future initiative plans to renovate more than 600 schools with modern classrooms, labs and ICT facilities plus 47 centres of excellence, strengthen 8 TVET institutions, and provide 10,000 scholarships with mentorship and career guidance. More than 4,500 scholarships have been awarded and over 18,000 teachers trained so far. This programme runs alongside, not instead of, the Foundation's existing secondary and university scholarships, so a rejection from one scheme does not rule you out of others under this wider initiative.

How to apply

1. Identify which level fits you: secondary, university or a TVET institutional partnership.

2. Visit the official Safaricom Foundation or M-PESA Foundation website for the current application form and stated deadline.

3. Prepare your academic records, a fee structure or admission letter from your institution, and proof of financial need.

4. For secondary applicants, check whether your county has open slots and follow any county-level nomination process the Foundation states.

5. Submit before the deadline. Late submissions do not carry over to the next cycle.

Tips

• STEM, healthcare and courses serving marginalized communities get priority at university level, factor this into your application essay or personal statement.

• If your institution has an existing M-PESA Foundation or Safaricom Foundation partnership, ask your student affairs office directly, since these routes sometimes run separately from the main public application.

• Watch for Citizens of the Future announcements if you attend one of the 600-plus schools or 8 TVET institutions targeted for the wider rollout.