Odede named among TIME 100 most influential people globally

From pioneers, leaders, and titans to artists, innovators, and icons, these are the most influential people in the world in 2024.

In the announcement made on Wednesday, Dr. Odede was recognised alongside President William Ruto, World Bank President Ajay Banga among others.

“Kennedy is living proof that individuals can lead themselves, and their communities, out of poverty.Kennedy finds ingenious solutions: schools for the most vulnerable girls, training programs for men to combat domestic violence, safe houses for survivors, community libraries, employment programs, innovative clean-water kiosks, a community cooperative bank,” TIME100 stated.

It added: “There is no challenge he will not take on. He is an unstoppable force for justice. This dream of hope that started more than 20 years ago in his home in Kibera has now reached more than 3 million Kenyans and is rapidly becoming a blueprint that will one day, hopefully, reach the world—a movement for change led by the people themselves.”

Founded in Kibra slums, SHOFCO has now expanded across Kenya, serving over three million people directly. The organization addresses community challenges through various courses such as access to health, WASH, community advocacy platforms, education, and sustainable livelihoods program.

Having struggled to access water in Kibera slums where clean and safe piped water was non-existent, Dr. Odede prioritised provision of it when he founded SHOFCO.

“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. 

To reduce contamination, SHOFCO introduced a cutting-edge aerial water piping system which serves over 250,000 residents of Kibera and Mathare slums in Nairobi. The pipes are connected to 53 water kiosks, allowing residents to access the precious commodity fast and consistently.

Girl’s education is also close to his heart and after witnessing a lot of gender inequality in the slum, he founded two tuition-free schools for girls in Kibera and Mathare slums.

Shofco Kibera School for Girls (KSG) currently has over 500 students, enjoying full scholarship. The students are picked from the most-needy families in the slums and are enrolled in the school from pre-primary to grade eight. Shofco Mathare School for Girls (MSG) first cohort sat their Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) last year and recorded 100 per cent transition to high school.

SHOFCO has also spread its wings beyond Nairobi as every year, over 2000 needy students from different counties who score more than 300 marks receive scholarships. In 2024, 2,200 needy but bright students have benefitted from the organisation’s scholarship programme.

SHOFCO also runs a health programme and currently has five operational clinics in Kibera and Mathare slums, serving 600 patients daily. In addition, the organisation is carrying out health outreaches in several slums in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kakamega and Siaya counties.

As a globally recognised community mobiliser, Dr. Odede has been encouraging governments, policy leaders and donors to partner with, listen to, and scale up community-led solutions. In addition, he advocates for immediate shifts in resources and financing towards community-led solutions, moving towards a new development paradigm that promotes racial equity and recognizes deep-rooted community trust as the most powerful tool to deliver impact.

In November 2023, Dr. Odede was named alongside former Liberian President Johnson Sirleaf as the winners of TIME100 Impact Award.