For nearly two decades, fin-tech platform M-PESA has been the unspoken engine of Kenya’s economic hustle—from paying for bodaboda rides and buying vegetables and fruits at the kiosk to receiving emergency school fees from cousins in the city. 

Now, to mark 18 years of the ever evolving mobile money magic, Safaricom has turned its most iconic service into a traveling celebration of trade, tech, and tenacity across the nation.

After electrifying customers and businesses at the Coast in the past week, the M-PESA Sokoni Festival caravan is now winding its way to Nairobi, riding on a wave of excitement, opportunity, and entrepreneurial hope. 

The caravan, which leaves behind a memorable week of activity that hit climax at the Mombasa’s Sports Club on Saturday, is set to electrify the capital city starting Monday, June 16th. 

According to Safaricom, customers can expect to bag deals, enjoy the drama, and relish to sweet vibes on the dance floors.

The Coast edition wasn’t just about showcasing products or promotions—it was also about telling the story of Kenya’s everyday dreamers. From devices and electronics to household items and beauty must-haves, M-PESA Sokoni Festival transformed into a colourful mash-up of shopping buzz and musical flair. 

It was “deals kuruka” galore as local vendors rubbed shoulders with national merchants, all rallying under one mobile-powered marketplace.

“This has been an amazing week,” explained Esther Waititu, Safaricom’s Chief Financial Services Officer, in Mombasa. “We are extremely happy with the turnout. Customers came out in large numbers with their families to shop, win, and be entertained.”

DJs turned up the tempo while top artists ensured the show never dipped. But the show-stopper was undoubtedly the crowd-favourite game show M-PESA or the Box, where luck met laughter and shoppers turned into instant winners.

Ask Elizabeth Makokha from Changamwe. She turned up just to enjoy the festival vibes and left with KES180,000 richer. “I’m still in disbelief,” said Elizabeth. “I plan to expand my shoe business. This money will change a lot for me.”

Behind the flashing lights and booming speakers, however, was a more grounded and quietly powerful agenda: empowerment.

The festival featured Wezesha Mama, an initiative by the M-PESA Foundation focused on women’s groups, providing them with digital and financial literacy training. Access to seed capital was also part of the deal—tools not just for participation but for progress.

Earlier in the week, Safire Connect brought together young dreamers and seasoned doers for candid conversations on entrepreneurship, personal branding, and community-led growth. Across the caravan’s stopovers, the message was simple: it’s not just about transactions, but transformation.

And transformation needs recognition. That’s why the Regional M-PESA Agents Awards were held—to honour agent stores that have consistently been the lifeblood of the network, supporting Kenya’s mobile economy one transaction at a time.

Enterprises, too, had their moment under the sun at the Grow with Safaricom Business Forum. Here, the nitty-gritty of doing business in Kenya was the main focus: digitization, market access, regulatory headwinds, branding, and digital marketing challenges. It was less talk, more tools—a practical boost for businesses looking to scale.

As the festival wheels into Nairobi, it brings with it a pulse that mirrors the Kenyan spirit: adaptive, ambitious, and always on the move. According to Safaricom, M-PESA at 18 is a celebration of the people who’ve built their lives—and livelihoods—around it.

In the coming days, Nairobi will be evolving into roving marketplace of music, money, and meaning, as the nation marks 18 years of M-PESA.

[email protected]