Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO) Founder and CEO Dr. Kennedy Odede has been named among Kenya’s 50 most influential men of 2024 alongside Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and Mount Kenya University Founder Prof Simon Gicharu.
The recognition by Africapitol Ventures was announced on Friday, October 25 during a gala dinner held at KICC. Dr. Odede was recognized for his role to uplift the lives of underprivileged communities across 40 counties in Kenya.
“I’m greatful for this recognition and energized to keep working with communities across the country on real solutions to unemployment, climate change, education, and water access. Let’s keep pushing for lasting change together,” Dr. Odede said.
The SHOFCO boss encouraged fellow honoraries to keep pushing for good leadership and governance that prioritize local communities.
“We have a critical role of investing in young people and I believe that all of us, in our different sectors, can support them. We can help them access the tools they need to adapt to an increasingly rapid change while playing a constructive role in society,” he said.
This recognition adds to Odede’s bucket list having received both local and international awards key among them include Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2024, 2023 Time 100 Impact Award Africa, Schwab Social Innovator of the Year 2022, seventh East Africa Philanthropy Jury Award among others.
“Kennedy is living proof that individuals can lead themselves, and their communities, out of poverty. Kennedy finds ingenious solutions: schools for the most vulnerable girls, training programs for men to combat domestic violence, safe houses for survivors, community libraries, employment programs, innovative clean-water kiosks, a community cooperative bank,” TIME100 stated during the award ceremony in 2024.
SHOFCO’s approach to community development is holistic, addressing multiple dimensions of poverty and inequality to create lasting change.Its programs focus on education, healthcare, water and sanitation, economic empowerment, community mobilization, and youth development, all aimed at improving the well-being and opportunities for residents in urban slums and rural areas.
The organization has reached one million youth through various courses such as entrepreneurship training, sporting activities, TVET training, job and internship placements.
Under its education program, SHOFCO runs two schools, Kibera School for Girls and Mathare School for Girls, with a student population of 580.
The students are fully sponsored from grades one through eight and receive vital services such as healthcare and water, along with their families.
SHOFCO pioneered aerial water piping systems in Kibera to combat vandalism and theft of pipes, ending water contamination.These pipes terminate at 57 water kiosks in Kibera and Mathare slums, serving over 200,000 residents daily.The organization also supplies water to 47 schools and five health centres in Kibera and Lang’ata sub-counties for free.
The organization operates three Level 3 health centres in Kibera (2) and Mathare (1), serving over 600 patients daily.
SHOFCO’s healthcare outreaches in Nairobi, Mombasa, Siaya, and Kakamega counties reached reached 467,087 individuals in 2023.
Through its Sustainable Livelihoods program, SHOFCO reached 76,614 vulnerable women, training them in various skills such as tailoring, handicrafts, and other soft skills to support their economic empowerment.
The organization also supported 15,000 gender-based violence survivors, running safe houses in Kibera and Mathare and helping victims get justice and empowerment.
In 2022, SHOFCO’s community-driven change model became a benchmark for global NGOs following a case study by Bridgespan Group, which highlighted SHOFCO’s effective community-driven approaches and lasting impact.
SHOFCO continues to embody its commitment to transforming lives and creating sustainable, community-driven development in Kenya.
