Twenty-four-year-old Kepher Okoth Ooko, a motorcycle mechanic from Kanga, Migori County, has emerged as the grand winner of KES 5 million in the “Shine Kenya Shinda Mamilii Kama Bingwa” promotion.
Okoth secured his win by purchasing KES 20 data bundles, which granted him an entry into the draw. Alongside the KES 5 million prize, he also received KES 1 million from the Safaricom Foundation to fund a community project of his choice in his hometown.
During the award ceremony at Safaricom’s headquarters in Nairobi, Okoth, accompanied by his wife Zuhura Akoth, expressed his overwhelming disbelief and joy. The father of two shared that he plans to use his winnings to establish his own motorcycle repair garage, purchase land, build a house, and buy a 14-seater matatu for a transport business. Additionally, he intends to support his wife in starting her own business.
“I’m still in disbelief since receiving the call from Safaricom that I had won KES 5 million. This is a miracle and a huge blessing for me and my entire family. I never imagined that someone like me would become a millionaire. My plans include starting a garage, building a house, buying a matatu, and supporting my wife, who has been a pillar in my life. Thank you, Safaricom, for the incredible work you are doing, transforming the lives of many Kenyans,” said Kepher Okoth.
With the KES 1 million from the Safaricom Foundation, Okoth chose to renovate and furnish three classrooms and connect water in his former school, Kitere Primary School.
The “Shine Kenya Shinda Mamilii Kama Bingwa” promotion, launched in June, aimed to reward, celebrate, and empower Safaricom customers with daily and weekly cash prizes, including data bundles. The promotion also supported key community projects selected by the winners.
As part of the campaign, each of the 30 weekly millionaires received an additional KES 250,000 to fund a community project of their choice, ensuring that the benefits of the promotion extended beyond individual winners to positively impact their wider communities, creating a ripple effect of positive change.
These community projects are being realized through the Safaricom Ndoto Zetu Uwezo Wetu program, which supports various community initiatives that have a lasting impact on people’s lives. These initiatives include building classrooms, providing clean water, and supporting healthcare projects.
“Today, we not only celebrate our 31st millionaire but also the 31 community projects that will benefit thousands of Kenyans. When we began this campaign, we aimed to celebrate and empower our customers and communities by transforming lives across the country. We believe that true success is shared success, and by supporting community initiatives, we can create a ripple effect of positive change,” said Peter Ndegwa, Safaricom Plc CEO.
In addition to the millionaires, the campaign rewarded customers with M-PESA cashbacks totalling KES 31.5 million, daily prizes that included airtime for 220,000 customers, data bundles for 200,400 customers, SMS bundles for over 301,000 customers, and digital content for more than 1.2 million customers.
