The M-Pesa Foundation has handed over a KES 34 million perimeter wall to Starehe Girls Centre as part of its ongoing commitment to enhancing education infrastructure and improving the safety of learners across Kenya.
The new wall is expected to significantly boost security for the 800 students and staff at the institution, ensuring a safer and more conducive environment for academic excellence.
The handover ceremony coincided with Starehe Girls Centre’s Founders Day celebrations and the institution’s 20th Anniversary since its establishment in 2005. The event also recognized:
- Outstanding performance by students in their KCSE examinations
- The contributions of long-serving staff members
- The service of exiting Board of Management members
Speaking during the ceremony, Dr. Peter Ndegwa, Group CEO, Safaricom, emphasized the importance of safe learning environments in enabling academic success:
“Infrastructure plays an instrumental role in enabling quality education. Beyond the content, the environment has to be enabling for learners to thrive in their academics. We cannot overlook the safety of students and staff at school even as we strive to improve learning facilities. As we celebrate these students today, we appreciate the role that a secure learning environment plays in fostering academic excellence.”
The perimeter wall project at Starehe Girls Centre forms part of M-Pesa Foundation’s broader investments in education infrastructure across Nairobi County and beyond. Some of the key projects include:
- Ndurarua Primary School → Additional classrooms worth KES 47 million
- Mwangaza Secondary School → Construction of modern learning facilities worth KES 37 million
- Langata Technical & Vocational Centre → Establishment of an ICT hub worth KES 300,000
To date, Safaricom, through the M-Pesa Foundation, has invested KES 633 million in education projects within Nairobi County, supporting initiatives aimed at improving infrastructure, expanding access to learning facilities, and creating safe environments for students.
Eunice Mathu, Chairperson, Board of Trustees, Starehe Girls Centre, lauded the M-Pesa Foundation’s support:
“I am grateful to the Foundation for supporting us with this wall. We had concerns about the safety of our students. We needed to monitor incomings and outgoings to account for who is at the institution at a particular time. The new wall will guarantee the safety of our students and the security of our property.”
The perimeter wall underscores the M-Pesa Foundation’s holistic approach to education, recognizing that quality learning requires not only well-equipped facilities but also safe and secure environments.
By investing in both infrastructure and student welfare, the Foundation continues to play a transformative role in shaping the future of education in Kenya.
