Safaricom has named Joseph Ndung’u, a 27-year-old tuk-tuk driver from Kisauni, Mombasa, as the 14th KES 1 million winner in its ongoing Shangwe @25 promotion, after he qualified through an everyday M-PESA transaction. The mobile operator said Ndung’u also received an additional KES 250,000 to support a community project of his choice, extending the reward beyond personal use to local development initiatives.

Ndung’u, who has worked in the transport sector for seven years, said he received the news shortly after completing a routine trip, when Safaricom called to inform him that he had won. He initially doubted the call and took extra steps to confirm it was genuine.

“I had just completed a trip when I received the call. I was sceptical at first and borrowed a friend’s phone to verify that it was indeed Safaricom,” Ndung’u said.

The win came during a difficult period for his family, who were mourning the recent loss of his grandfather. The operator said the reward offered renewed hope for the household, with Ndung’u indicating that he intends to use the funds to expand his income base and address immediate family needs.

Ndung’u is a frequent M-PESA user and relies on the platform for day-to-day expenses, including fuel purchases, airtime and data, and loan repayments. He also uses M-PESA to support his family, including servicing instalments for an M-KOPA phone purchased for his younger brother.

With the KES 1 million prize, Ndung’u plans to purchase an additional tuk-tuk and open a spare-parts shop to stabilise his income and grow his business. He also intends to finance a surgical procedure for his mother, a move he said would ease a significant financial burden on the family.

The additional KES 250,000 community support component will go to Bidallah Self Help Group, a youth group based in the Mishomoroni–Kisauni area. The group runs income-generating activities including fresh water supply, a fruit business and boda boda operations. Ndung’u said the funds will be used to purchase a freezer, acquire larger water storage tanks and strengthen the fruit business.

“This money gives me an opportunity to plan for the future. I will grow my business, take care of my family’s needs, and invest in my brother’s education. Beyond that, I want to ensure the community also benefits by supporting a youth self-help group called Bidallah Self Help Group here in Mushomoroni, through the provision of a water freezer and additional water tanks, so they can sustain themselves and continue supporting others,” he said.

Shangwe @25 is part of Safaricom’s 25th anniversary celebrations and is designed to reward customers while supporting communities and businesses. Safaricom said the campaign awards daily and weekly prizes including cash, data bundles, devices and business support tools, with more than 50,000 customers winning KES 10,000, KES 50,000 or KES 100,000 each week.

Over the course of the promotion, the company expects more than five million customers to win prizes worth KES 250 million. Safaricom has also set a target of 25 millionaires by the end of the campaign, positioning the promotion as both a customer-retention tool and a platform to drive usage of its digital payments ecosystem.

Beyond individuals, Safaricom said the campaign supports enterprises across categories. Micro and small businesses can receive tuk-tuk pickups to improve logistics such as stock movement and deliveries, while selected businesses receive stock worth KES 250,000 to accelerate growth. Medium and large enterprises receive KES 500,000 to fund corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects of their choice.

The operator said customers can access M-PESA services by dialling *334#.