Twenty-four-year-old Kepher Okoth Ooko from Kanga, Migori County, is the grand winner of KES 5 million in the “Shine Kenya Shinda Mamilii Kama Bingwa” promotion.
Okoth, who is a motorcycle mechanic based at Kanga Junction in Migori county, won the amount after participating in the campaign by purchasing KES 20 data bundles, which earned him an entry into the draw.
In addition to the KES 5 million, he also received KES 1 million from the Safaricom Foundation to support a community project of his choice in his home area.
Speaking during the award ceremony at Safaricom headquarters in Nairobi, the joyous father of two, who was accompanied by his wife Zuhura Akoth expressed his disbelief, saying he is still in shock. Okoth further shared that he plans to use some of the money to open his own motorcycle repair garage, purchase a piece of land, build a house, and buy a 14-seater matatu for a transport business. He also intends to support his wife by helping her start a business.
“I am still in disbelief since I received 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 ever become a millionaire. I plan to start a garage, build a house, buy a 14-seater matatu, and support my wife, who has been a pillar in my life. To Safaricom, thank you so much for the incredible work you are doing, transforming the lives of many Kenyans,” said Kepher Okoth.
With the additional KES 1 million from the Safaricom Foundation meant to support a community project, Okoth chose to renovate and furnish three classrooms and connect water in his former primary school, Kitere Primary School.
This promotion was launched in June by Safaricom to reward, celebrate and empower its customers with daily and weekly cash prizes, including data bundles. It was also meant to support key community projects chosen by winners.
Each of the 30 weekly millionaires received an additional KES 250,000 to support a community project of their choice. This was to ensure that the benefits of this promotion extend beyond individual winners to positively impact wider communities creating a ripple effect of positive change.
The community projects are being actualised through the Safaricom Ndoto Zetu Uwezo Wetu program which supports various community initiatives that have a lasting impact on people’s lives. Whether it’s building classrooms, providing clean water, or supporting healthcare initiatives.
“Today, we not only celebrate our 31st millionaires, but also the 31 community projects that will benefit thousands of Kenyans. When we began this campaign, we had our customers and the community in mind, aiming to celebrate and empower them by transforming their 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 also rewarded customers with M-PESA cashbacks totalling KES 31.5 million, daily prizes that included airtime for 220,000 customers, data bundles for another 200,400 customers, SMS bundles for more than 301,000 customers, and digital content for over 1.2 million customers.