Music festival students to battle for Ksh.2.5 million at nationals

Learners from across the country will compete for a Ksh.2.5 million prize pot at this year's Kenya Music Festival (KMF) nationals, after Equity Bank rolled out the funds to motivate students in categories sponsored by the financial institution.

Equity Bank Head of Education Peter Ndoro said the nationals, set to be held at Kibabi University in Bungoma County, mark the pinnacle of Equity's sponsorship this year, with the bank having supported the festival from sub-county with over Ksh25 million running for three consecutive years.

"Our partnership goes beyond sponsorship. We want to create meaningful opportunities and nurturing responsible citizens who will drive positive change in our society," Ndoro said while addressing students and teachers at the concluded Nairobi regional edition at Buru Buru Girls.

As the major partner, students will continue showcasing performances under Equity's own sub-theme, Sustainable Transformation for a Resilient Future: Protecting Our Environment, Empowering Our Communities for Wealth Creation.

The theme complements this year’s music festival’s main theme, Enhancing the Creative Economy through Knowledge, Skills and Artistic Production for Sustainable Development.

"The themes speak directly to the aspirations of our nation and values that guide Equity Bank. Students should use their talents creatively to inspire change, promote environmental responsibility, and demonstrate how empowered citizens can create wealth and resilience,” Ndoro said.

At the regional level, Equity sponsored 11 classes spanning primary, junior, and senior schools, with Ksh4.4 million going to winners and 88 trophies handed out across the categories, out of 130 donated in total.

The competition widens at the national level, where Teacher Training Colleges, TVETs, and universities join the field, pushing the number of classes under the Equity theme to 14. National winners will share a Ksh2,520,000 prize pot, with first place in each class earning Ksh100,000, second place Ksh50,000, and third place Ksh30,000.

Trainers behind winning performers also stand to benefit, with Ksh30,000, Ksh20,000, and Ksh10,000 for first, second, and third place respectively.

Equity Group Managing Director and CEO Dr. James Mwangi, in a message released to mark the festival, tied the sponsorship to the bank's wider sustainability agenda. "The question before us is no longer simply how to transform lives," Mwangi wrote. "It is how to sustain that transformation for generations to come."

He added that sustainability at Equity is not an abstract concept, but a deliberate strategy embedded in how they finance, invest, and empower communities. "We recognize that prosperity cannot exist without stewardship of our environment," he said.

Equity Bank's environmental programmes back that commitment. The bank has supported the planting of over 39.6 million trees, part of the national drive to plant 15 billion trees by 2032. Its clean energy work for schools and communities includes energy transition support for learning institutions, solar power installations, clean cooking energy solutions, and water harvesting and purification systems, alongside green financing for renewable energy adoption, climate-smart agriculture, and sustainable enterprises.

These efforts, Dr Mwangi said, help institutions and households reduce energy and lighting costs, lower emissions, and build resilience.

He also framed sustainability in financial terms, describing Equity's mission of economic empowerment as now carrying a strong focus on responsible growth. "True wealth creation is responsible and long-term," he said. "Wealth can grow without degrading the environment or excluding communities."

On the financial sustainability side, the bank points to its work promoting a savings culture among learners and communities, supporting youth and women entrepreneurship, financing sustainable enterprises, encouraging climate-smart and green investments, and providing insurance to protect wealth already created.

For Dr Mwangi, the festival carries weight beyond the stage, framing it as a platform for shaping national consciousness and driving all-round excellence rather than simply celebrating artistic talent. He noted that through music, poetry, and performance, learners have the chance to internalize and project the idea that sustainable wealth protects the environment, empowers communities, and secures the future, and that those who grasp sustainability holistically become ambassadors of transformation within their schools and communities.

Peter Ndoro concurred, adding that the bank's interest in the festival stretches beyond this year's trophies and prize money. He recalled how, in years past, students would compete, win, and go back home once the festival ended, a pattern he said Equity wants to break.

He raised the question of what more could be done to help learners earn a livelihood from their talents, revealing that talks are already underway with the Ministry of Education on how to help young performers monetize their skills.

"Now it is our responsibility as responsible organizations to look at how do we support these children, these young learners to be able to earn a livelihood out of their talent," Ndoro, Equity Bank’s Head of Education said. "That is our responsibility, and as Equity Bank, we are determined to make it happen."