Earlier this week, Safaricom unveiled Tuinuane – a clarion call for Kenyans to lift one another by acts of love and kindness. Not necessarily in grand gestures, but in whatever ways that kindness, brotherhood and sisterhood can shine through. The world has been rather hard on us all in the last two or so years with effects of the pandemic and global politics making life almost unbearable for many. But we still have each other and the togetherness that Kenyans have always been known for. It is this togetherness that Safaricom is tapping into by encouraging Kenyans to have each other’s backs. The togetherness that saw Kenyans raise millions of shillings to help our brothers and sisters who were facing famine and death in Turkana back in 2011.
It is in the same spirit that Kenyans have so far raised ksh.7.5 million by donating their bonga points to convert to food relief for our fellow Kenyans up north. This amount is in addition to Safaricom’s base donation of Ksh.100 million. The project dubbed Pamoja Tuungane is running through the #BongaForFood initiative which can be accessed by dialling *126# and selecting option zero. Depending on the bonga points one would like to donate, you can choose to feed a child, a family, or a community. You can also make a cash donation.
On their part, Safaricom is leading by example and has several programs aimed at lifting Kenyans through these tough times. To light the fire of Tuinuane for instance, the company’s staff members and other crew were on ground in different parts of Nairobi to share airtime and food items like rice, cooking oil, sugar and maize flour on the day of launch.
Safaricom is also currently accepting applications for the fourth phase of Ndoto Zetu. Ndoto Zetu which is also very much within Tuinuane is a community empowerment initiative under which Kenyans are encouraged to share their dreams with Safaricom for possible actualization. Since inception in 2019, the initiative has impacted the lives of nearly 3 million people. I’ve had the pleasure of being part of this journey, meeting some beneficiaries and telling stories like this one of Kiserem Epilepsy Foundation. Phase four was launched late last month in Joytown Special School in Thika with an allocation of Ksh 100 Million from Safaricom Foundation. If you have a community dream you would like help bringing to life, fill the forms here or at Safaricom shops and stand a chance.
For the everyday customer, Safaricom has introduced Tuinuane Bundles which will see customers get special offers on data, calls and SMS for just 20 shillings. These offers include 1GB data valid for one-hour, unlimited calls valid for an hour or unlimited text messages valid for 24 hours. The offers will be available via mySafaricom app or by dialling *444*22#. More is coming soon in this docket, like M-Pesa for juniors between 10 and 18. The funds will be under parental control until the kids turn 18 when they can access them. We can also expect mobile-based investment solution that will allow M-PESA users to invest and earn interest.
“For Safaricom, the Tuinuane spirit is our way of saying that we want to work with Kenyans to help them meet their dreams and aspirations”
Peter Ndegwa, CEO, Safaricom PLC
Under education, Safaricom has partnered with content providers to enable access to relevant and affordable content in a simple and easy manner. These include Shupavu 291, which can be delivered via SMS for just 4 shillings per day, and the web-based Safaricom elimu, which can be accessed with 200mbs of data for just 20 shillings.
In the spirit of Tuinuane, be kind to someone. They’ll be kind to someone else in return and in the end, we will be a happier people who have helped each other ease the struggles of everyday life.
