The United Nations has awarded Dr. Kennedy Odede, founder and CEO of Shining
Hope for Communities (SHOFCO), the 2025 Nelson Mandela Prize in recognition of
his community-led development work in Kenya.
The award ceremony took place at the UN General Assembly Hall in New York on
Friday, July 18, as part of this year’s Nelson Mandela International Day.
The Nelson Mandela Prize is awarded every five
years to one man and one woman whose work embodies Mandela’s legacy of
reconciliation, social justice, and grassroots leadership. Dr. Odede becomes
the first Kenyan man to receive the award.
He shares the 2025 recognition with Brenda Reynolds of Canada.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who
presented the award, described Odede as a long-time community activist whose organisation
unites groups across Kenya.
“The organisation he founded now reaches 2.4 million people each year with
essential services from education to water,” said Guterres.
“As the United Nations celebrates 80 years, Nelson Mandela’s legacy of
reconciliation and transformation continues to inspire and drive us,” he added.
Dr. Odede, who was born and raised in Kibera,
started SHOFCO in 2004 with limited resources while working in a factory.
The initiative began as a youth group and has since grown into a national
movement delivering clean water, education for girls, primary healthcare,
gender-based violence support, and livelihood services in Kenya’s informal
settlements.
SHOFCO reports that it now operates in over 90
locations across 35 counties.
According to data shared during the UN event, the organisation’s outreach
includes 1.3 million youth leaders, 156,000 children treated for malnutrition,
40,000 households receiving clean water, and over $10 million in loans issued
to low-income families.
Addressing the General Assembly, Odede said
the recognition was not just personal but symbolic of the potential within
under-resourced communities.
He advocated for what he described as a shift away from "parachute
aid" towards localised, community-led development, where funding and
decision-making power rest with residents.
“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.
Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Ekitela Lokaale, also
acknowledged the award, saying:
“The award recognises 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 SHOFCO, Dr. Odede has served on several
international advisory and leadership bodies.
These include the USAID Advisory Committee, the World Economic Forum’s Young
Global Leaders, the UN International Commission on Financing Global Education,
and the Obama Foundation’s Africa Leadership program.
The 2025 Mandela Prize adds to a list of
previous recognitions Dr. Odede has received, such as the Echoing Green
Fellowship (2010), Forbes 30 Under 30 (2014), the Schwab Foundation’s Social
Innovator award (2022), and inclusion in TIME’s 100 Most Influential People
list in 2024.
The Mandela Prize, established by the UN
General Assembly in 2014, is distinct from other recognitions in that it
specifically honors individuals whose work reflects the principles Nelson
Mandela stood for: dignity, service, and justice. Friday’s award marks the
third time the prize has been issued since its inception.
