Kenya's Kennedy Odede wins 2025 Nelson Mandela prize

The award was presented during a ceremony held at the United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York on Friday as part of the Nelson Mandela International Day Commemorations. 

The prize, which is awarded every five years, aims to recognise the achievements of those who dedicated their lives to the services of humanity and guided by the UN principles, while at the same time paying homage to Mandela's legacy. 

Odede hailed the award as a rubber stamp for his dedication to empowering the community. 

"Honored by the #NelsonMandelaPrize. Mandela’s name “Rolihlahla” means “troublemaker”—the good kind that stirs courage, justice, and compassion. If that means fighting for dignity, equality, and peace, count me in. Let’s keep making #GoodTrouble. The world needs more Rolihlahlas," he stated in a post on X. 

In an interview on Africa Renewal, he pointed out that the award will provide hope to other community organisations across Africa. 

"I was pleasantly surprised! Mandela is someone I admired deeply. For the UN to recognise an organisation like SHOFCO—it’s amazing! The Mandela Prize is awarded every five years, so being a recipient is no joke! For us, it is a big deal, and it gives hope to other community organisations across Africa that their work matters," he noted. 

He pointed out that SHOFCO has supported over 10,000 girls in school, trained 1.5 million youth in leadership, employed over 2,000 staff across 35 counties and facilitated 180,000 jobs for the young people. 

Further, Odede revealed that his organisation, through SHOFCO Sacco, has provided over Ksh.1.2 billion in microloans. Overall, his organisation has reached over 4 million people, a figure that he hopes to expand in the future. 

"The big focus right now is on sustainability. We’re already running income-generating activities. For example, we’re the largest provider of clean water in many areas in the slums."

Founded in Kibra slums, SHOFCO seeks to address community challenges through various courses such as access to health, community advocacy platforms, education, and a sustainable livelihoods program.

Odede, a Kibera native, noted how difficult it was to access clean water in the slums and hence prioritised the challenge when he founded the organisation. 

“We used to walk several kilometres to get water and most of the time, we would suffer water-borne diseases because the water we got was contaminated due to the underground pipes getting mixed up with raw sewage,” he said in a past interview. 

Due to his profound contributions, Odede has gained several accolades in his lifetime, including TIME 100 Most Influential People in 2023. 

On July 8, 2025, Mombasa County Government named a newly constructed access road in his honour. The 4.5-kilometer access road in Jomvu was now named the Kennedy Odede Access Road.