The M-PESA Jr. NBA tournament is set to bring the heat to Mombasa this weekend as 40 teams, featuring 480 rising hoops stars, hit the court at Aga Khan Academy for the Coastal regional showdown. With fierce competition and bragging rights on the line, young ballers will battle it out for the ultimate regional crown.

The action-packed tournament will feature high-intensity 5x5 matchups, with champions in both the boys' and girls' categories scoring smartphones and airtime, courtesy of Safaricom’s M-PESA. The stakes get even higher as top-performing players earn a chance to attend an elite basketball development camp, opening doors to bigger opportunities in the sport.

Beyond the court, the tournament will also equip players with financial literacy skills through M-PESA Go, reinforcing Safaricom’s commitment to empowering young athletes both on and off the hardwood. Game on, Mombasa. 

“This tournament signifies what we have been doing through M-PESA over the past 18 years in supporting talent across the country. Through our partnership with Jr. NBA, we are not only promoting sports but also empowering young people with financial literacy through our M-PESA Go product,” said Dr. Peter Ndegwa, CEO of Safaricom.

The 2025 M-PESA Jr. NBA program kicked off with a Fit clinic in Nairobi engaging over 100 local coaches, with life-skills seminars and coaching capacity building. This was followed by the first regional tournament in Nairobi that saw St. Johns’ from Korogocho and Olympic from Kibera claim the top titles in the boys’ and girls’ contests, respectively.

The M-PESA Jr. NBA program is designed to provide basketball development and financial literacy training more than 10,000 boys and girls across Kenya. The tournament now heads to Mombasa this weekend followed by Eldoret and finally Kisumu.

The regional tournaments will culminate into a national tournament in collaboration with School games. The top 50 boys and 50 girls will be scouted to attend Top 100 elite basketball development camp in April.