Safaricom is taking its M-PESA Sokoni Festival to western Kenya this week, as part of its ongoing campaign marking 18 years of M-PESA. The week-long activities across Kisumu, Siaya, and surrounding counties are geared toward small traders, young people, and women’s groups; groups long seen as critical to M-PESA’s continued dominance in mobile money.
On July 29, Siaya National Polytechnic will host a skills training session dubbed Safaricom Hook Circle. Youth will receive basic training in trades such as plumbing, fashion, and electronics. In Kisumu, a parallel session called Safire Connect will teach attendees financial and digital literacy.
A women-focused forum (Wezesha Mama) follows on July 30, bringing together women’s groups to discuss business tools, financial planning, and saving. Boda boda riders will also attend financial products, first aid, and road safety sessions.
On July 31, Safaricom will hold a regional M-PESA agent awards ceremony. The company has more than 200,000 agents across Kenya, and the event is framed as a nod to those in the western region who have contributed to expanding access to mobile money.
The festival wraps up on August 2 with a live concert and customer event at Kisumu’s Mambo Leo Stadium.
Beyond brand visibility, the company uses these events to anchor more of its products—especially business and youth services—in regions outside Nairobi. Western Kenya has been one of Safaricom’s fastest-growing regions for merchant payments and agent transactions, driven by small and informal businesses.
The festival format, while celebratory, also serves to lock in loyalty at a time when mobile money competition is rising. Airtel Money has been gaining ground across key urban centres.
