Safaricom has kicked off a two-month countrywide festival showcasing exclusive offers and community initiatives, as it builds momentum towards its 25th anniversary in October.
Dubbed the M-Pesa Sokoni Festival, the campaign begins in Mombasa and will traverse several towns, blending discounts, entertainment, and entrepreneurship forums.
More than 150 businesses from across Kenya are participating, with customers promised access to what Safaricom terms as “deals kuruka” on a wide range of products.
According to Safaricom CEO Dr Peter Ndegwa, the initiative aims to fuse commerce with celebration.
“M-Pesa Sokoni is more than just a marketplace; it is a unique family friendly event where we are offering our esteemed customers an opportunity to enjoy amazing deals on a variety of products, great entertainment, and business owners get an opportunity to showcase their products and services, connect with customers and grow their brands,” Ndegwa stated.
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Electronics, household appliances, fashion, beauty products and travel packages are among the top items set to feature in the promotion. Those unable to attend in person can still participate via the Masoko.com platform.
“As Safaricom, we pride ourselves at being the biggest supporter of Kenyan passion points through music, sports and culture and the M-Pesa Sokoni Festival is a great opportunity to showcase this. For those who will not manage to come physically, the offers will also be available on our e-commerce platform, Masoko.com,” Ndegwa added.
Beyond shopping, the campaign includes events such as Safire Connect, a business forum aimed at inspiring entrepreneurs through discussions on hustle culture, personal branding and financial planning.
Also planned is Wezesha Mama, a programme by the M-Pesa Foundation which targets women’s groups with training on digital and financial literacy, coupled with access to seed capital to boost micro-enterprises.
In a separate strand of the campaign, the telco will hold M-Pesa Agents Awards to celebrate exceptional performance among agent stores, and conduct Grow with Safaricom Business forums targeting SMEs.
These will tackle key challenges such as limited market access, poor digitisation, regulatory bottlenecks, and underdeveloped brand identities.
The Mombasa leg of the tour is scheduled to end on Saturday with a grand showcase at the Mombasa Sports Club Grounds.
The festival doubles as part of Safaricom’s ongoing M-Pesa at 18 campaign, recognising the transformative influence of its mobile money platform since its launch in 2007.
Customers engaging with the campaign will also learn more about Safaricom’s growing suite of business and consumer solutions, including Ziidi MMF, Taasi Till and Taasi Pochi, Fuliza ya Biashara, Pochi la Biashara, Lipa na M-Pesa, Safaricom Hook, Safaricom Emerald, and Masoko.
Through this dual milestone—M-Pesa at 18 and Safaricom’s 25 years—the telco appears keen on reinforcing its place in Kenya’s daily life, not just as a service provider, but as a partner in economic and social progress.