By KPC Reporter in New York
A Kenyan, Kennedy Odede, was on Friday awarded the prestigious 2025 United Nations Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize at a ceremony in the General Assembly Hall of UN Headquarters in New York.
Odede, the visionary founder of Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO) that has a huge presence in Kenya, becomes the first Kenyan man ever to receive the distinguished recognition.
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The UN Mandela Prize, bestowed every five years, recognizes outstanding individuals devoted to service, human dignity, reconciliation, and community development.
The announcement and ceremony mark a historic moment for Odede, whose transformative work emerged from Kibera.
Born and raised in Kibera, Odede experienced hardship firsthand.
Yet with 20 cents and a soccer ball in 2004, he co-founded SHOFCO alongside his wife, Jessica Posner Odede.
What began as a grassroots movement has grown into a powerhouse of change.
Today, SHOFCO reaches over 2.5 million Kenyans across 75% of Kenya’s counties, offering clean water, healthcare, girls’ education, economic empowerment, and community advocacy through its innovative SHOFCO Urban Network.
“This award belongs to the people of Kenya… to the youth in Kibera who keep dreaming,” Odede was quoted by The Star, emphasizing that leadership “begins with listening”.
In a LinkedIn post ahead of the ceremony, he reflected on Nelson Mandela’s words: “Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity, it is an act of justice.”
Odede added that the honor recognizes not just himself but “the movement we’ve built through SHOFCO and the community leadership that fuels it”
SHOFCO’s model; combining direct services with grassroots organizing, has been hailed globally for restoring dignity over dependency and ultimately demonstrating that sustainable development must be led by communities themselves
As Odede accepted the award in the General Assembly Hall, he called on development and philanthropic sectors to recommit to local leadership and systems change.
“The world must urgently shift power closer to those it seeks to serve,” he asserted, using this milestone as a platform for advocacy on behalf of marginalized communities.
