Douglas Mwiti 
Fawzia Ali- Chief Consumer Business Officer, Safaricom Plc
Safaricom has launched a nationwide campaign, the ‘M-PESA Sokoni Festival’, to treat its customers across the country to amazing product offers.
The festival is part of the year-long celebrations to Safaricom’s 25th anniversary in October this year.
The festival will bring together over 150 local and national businesses from across the country, offering ‘deals kuruka’ on devices, electronics, household items, beauty and fashion products, travel and more.
“M-PESA Sokoni is more than just a marketplace; it is a family friendly event where we are giving our customers an opportunity to enjoy amazing deals on various products, great entertainment and business owners get to showcase their products and services, connect with customers and grow their brands,” said Safaricom CEO, Peter Ndegwa.
The campaign kicks off in Mombasa with several activities lined up for the week, starting with Safire Connect – a forum that brings together like-minded individuals to discuss hustle, personal branding, opportunities within the community and financial wellness.
This will be followed by Wezesha Mama, a programme by the M-PESA Foundation that will bring together women groups from the region for financial and digital literacy training as well as an opportunity to access seed capital to grow their businesses.
Safaricom will also host regional M-PESA Agents Awards to recognize and award M-PESA agent stores that have performed well over the last year.
For businesses across the country, the Grow with Safaricom Business forums will empower SMEs with knowledge and skills to sustainably grow their businesses and overcome challenges such as digitization of their operations, limited access to markets, regulatory barriers, brand building and lack of digital marketing skills.
The coastal tour will culminate on Saturday, June 7 at Mombasa Sports Club Grounds with the M-PESA Sokoni Festival.
“As Safaricom, we are the biggest supporters 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 be able to make it physically, the offers will also be available on our e-commerce platform, Masoko.com,” Ndegwa added.
The two-week campaign is part of the M-PESA at 18 celebrations, celebrating M-PESA’s impact on Kenya’s digital and financial landscape and the lives of millions of Kenyans.
Customers will also learn about and get empowered by various Safaricom products and services including Ziidi MMF, Taasi Till and Taasi Pochi, Fuliza ya Biashara, Pochi la Biashara, Lipa na M-PESA, Safaricom Hook, Safaricom Emerald and Masoko.
