In a historic ceremony at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, Dr. Kennedy Odede, the Founder and CEO of Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO), was awarded the prestigious 2025 Nelson Mandela Prize.
The honor, bestowed every five years, celebrates two individuals, one male and one female, whose lives mirror Nelson Mandela’s legacy of reconciliation, service, and community-driven change.
Dr. Odede shares the accolade with Brenda Reynolds of Canada, becoming the first Kenyan man ever to be recognized.
Born in Kibera, one of Africa’s largest informal settlements, Dr. Odede became a street child at age 10.
In 2004, with just KSh20 and a soccer ball, he launched SHOFCO, mobilizing youth and neighbors into a united force for change.
“Twenty years ago, as a young man working in a factory for barely a dollar a day, I saved twenty cents to buy a soccer ball. That ball was not just for play — it was a tool for organizing, a center around which a community could form. That community became Shining Hope for Communities (or SHOFCO, as we call it),” Dr. Odede said.
Over two decades, SHOFCO has directly impacted more than four million Kenyans annually, delivering education, clean water, primary healthcare, gender-based violence support, livelihoods, and grassroots mobilization across 35 counties.
“SHOFCO, now two decades later, has grown to 90 places across Kenya, each driven and led by the community themselves. Four million people have been directly impacted, including 1.3 million youth leaders, 156,000 children treated for malnutrition, 40,000 households receiving clean water, over $10 million in loans to ultra-poor families,” he stated.
Dr. Odede voiced gratitude not only for himself, but for community-rooted leadership.
SHOFCO’s model is community-led, delivering clean water, girls’ education, community health, economic opportunity, gender-based violence support, and civic engagement anchored in resident participation.
Dr. Odede has vocally opposed “parachute aid,” advocating instead for localization, placing decisionmaking, funds, and implementation in the hands of communities themselves.
“In so many communities like Kibera, the gates of opportunity remain narrow. But at SHOFCO, we are not waiting for permission to belong to the future we are building. We are demonstrating that transformative leadership emerges precisely from the places the world overlooks — not just to walk through existing gates, but to widen them for others,” he added.
UN SecretaryGeneral António Guterres, who presented the award, emphasized the global significance of the laureates.
“Odede grew up in the slums of Kenya. He is a long time community activist. The organisation (SHOFCO) he founded unites community groups across the country and now reaches 2.4 million people each year with essential services from education to water,” he said.
He added: “As the United Nations celebrates 80 years, Nelson Mandela’s legacy of reconciliation and transformation continues to inspire and drive us. This year’s Mandela Prize winners embody the spirit of unity and possibility, reminding us how we all have the power to shape stronger communities and a better world,” Guterres stated.
He went on to underscore the prize’s symbolic power, saying the laureates exemplify servant leadership rooted in humility, unity, and justice.
“On behalf of the United Nations, I congratulate Ms Reynolds and Mr. Odede on this well-deserved recognition,” he said.
Kenya’s Permanent Secretary to the United Nations Amb. Ekitela Lokaale on his part said: “Mr. Kennedy Odede of SHOFCO, Kenya is the recipient of the 2025 United Nations Nelson Mandela Award alongside Ms. Brenda Reynolds of Canada.
“The award, which was presented by the UN Secretary General during commemoration of the UN Nelson Mandela International Day at the General Assembly today, recognizes Mr. Odede’s work of promoting Nelson Mandela’s legacy of peace, dignity, social justice and equality through SHOFCO’s work of empowering communities and individuals in Kenya.”
Beyond Kibera, Dr. Odede influences global discourse through roles on the USAID Advisory Committee, World Economic Forum, Obama Foundation, and UN education financing commissions, lifting voices of informal settlement communities at the highest levels.
His life path, from marginalized street youth to global changemaker, reflects the very resilience, reconciliation, and servant leadership championed by Nelson Mandela.
The Mandela Prize ceremony took place on Friday, July 18, 2025, aligning with Nelson Mandela International Day.
In addition to this accolade, Dr. Odede’s leadership record is decorated with honors and global roles that amplify his grassroots impact.
He was named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People (2024), Echoing Green Fellowship (2010), Forbes 30 Under 30 (2014), and Schwab Foundation Social Innovator (2022).
He has also served as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, Obama Foundation Africa Leader, and member of the Clinton Global Initiative.
He was part of USAID Advisory Committee members and the UN International Commission on Financing Global Education board.
