30th Edition, January 2024

Happy new year! Are we still saying this? Well, this is our first edition of the year, so we get a pass. No??

A new year presents a chapter filled with endless possibilities and we are excited to bring you even more insightful content, inspiring stories and updates on the latest trends and developments from within Safaricom and beyond.

In our first newsletter edition of 2024, we have lined up a series of exciting stories guaranteed to keep you entertained.

Have you ever wondered what goes into successfully planning the various colourful events hosted by Safaricom? We got a chance to sit with David Kibera , an event organizer who works with the Safaricom Brand Experience team. He has played a key role to deliver the pomp and colour experienced on-ground during the Safaricom Chapa Dimba football tournament that has been happening across Kenya.

They say that music with all its subtlety has immense power to unite people, spread love and bring peace in the world! At 16 years old, Lura is a talented concertmaster of the Safaricom Youth Orchestra. Get to know more about how she is able to maximize on her talent.

Home 254 is one of the most loved, locally made clothing brands. Did you know that for his initial capital, Founder, Job Brian , had to borrow KES5,000 from M-Shwari and KES 2,000 from his friend to buy stitched hoodies and sweatpants? This venture capital was instrumental in ensuring the success of his business. He takes us through his exciting journey and all the ups and downs.

More on incredible individuals doing great things, meet Yidah Sven , a football professional and mentor who worked his way out of the slum and built a better life for himself.

We cannot close this issue without highlighting a few stories on innovation. You may have heard about the ‘cloud’. The computing services including storage, processing power and software applications accessed over the internet. Instead of relying on physical servers or local infrastructure, cloud computing uses a network of remote servers hosted on the internet to store and process data, providing on-demand access to resources and services from anywhere, at any time, on any device. We spoke to Dennis Wambua, the Product Manager of Cloud Computing and Digital Capabilities at Safaricom who broke down the system in simple terms.

So, grab a cup of your favorite beverage, sit back, and immerse yourself in the enriching content we have prepared for you. Let's dive into 2024 together, embracing the opportunities that lie ahead and making this year the best one yet!

Wishing you a prosperous and joyous New Year!

…TOP STORY…

Faces of Safaricom: David Kibera

For David Kibera , event planning is rewarding work where he gets to bring people together and create unforgettable experiences for them. In his line of work, it's a chance to take a blank canvas and transform it into a stunning environment for a memorable event. He got to share his experience organizing Chapa Dimba.

Here’s His Story

Exposure, passion and mentoring made Home 254

From the humble beginnings of having a small shop at Kenya House Complex in the Nairobi CBD, Home 254 has grown into a fully-fledged fashion brand that does its stitching, designing and branding. When he was a fifth-year student at JKUAT, Job Brian wanted to find a way to combine fashion and patriotism. He didn’t want to do it the normal way that people used to wear red, black, and green shirts to represent Kenya. He needed a fashionable way to show his patriotism and that’s how Home 254 was birthed!

Learn More

Why this young concertmaster is the best in Kenya

Lura has always loved the sounds that a violin can make and the music she can play on it. Her love, dedication, passion and the hard work she has put into her craft have seen her flourish as a musician and become concertmaster for the Safaricom Youth Orchestra. Just recently, she sat her IGCSE music exam, and scored an A star. Her stellar performance was in part due to a routine that consisted of hours of practice during the school week, and even longer practice sessions with the Safaricom Youth Orchestra (SYO) on weekends.

Watch Her Story

The mentor who fake-limped his way to fame

Football is a sport that has given many people from various walks of life a chance to fight poverty. For Yidah Sven , it gave him a pathway out of the slums to the pitch to become a professional football player and a mentor in the game. Growing up in the tough confines of Kibera, Yidah found solace on the football field. Childhood friends succumbed to vices and crime, a stark reminder of the hurdles that accompany success. From his early kickabouts in the Kibera slums at the age of five, Yidah would go on to play at the Ligi Ndogo Academy, based at the RFUEA Grounds on Ngong Road.

Discover More

It’s in the cloud, simple

When the Supreme Court was told in 2017 that the election results were “in the cloud” and the servers were in Europe, it conjured up images of a physical location that was inaccessible and a lot of Kenyans ended up confused. Dennis Wambua, the Product Manager of Cloud Computing and Digital Capabilities at Safaricom, has a simpler explanation: cloud computing is like taking a matatu instead of driving your own car, which could make sense given the high cost of fuel.

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Jose Tuu: I just want to make someone’s life better

Joseph Kamaru grew up disadvantaged and although he has managed to shrug off those challenges and get on with life, he is committed to putting a smile on the faces of people who were once like him. He found a willing partner recently as Safaricom launched Sambaza Furaha, the Christmas campaign. To spread the Christmas cheer, Events by Tuu was the principal organiser, in partnership with the Safaricom Foundation . They hosted a cooking activity and invited members of the community to partake, providing avenues for people to enjoy activities like dancing, mentorship and engaging with Safaricom staff for queries and exchanges.

Learn More

What you missed out on in December

Recreating Sarafina!: the students’ experience

36 years after the first performance of the world-famous film Sarafina!, students of MPESA Foundation Academy took to the stage to pay homage to the brilliant film inspired by the Soweto uprising, journeying through a realistic view of South Africa's past as it struggled through apartheid. They take us behind the scenes and share what this experience was like for them.

Here’s their Story