Shofco, Kilifi County ink development partnership deal

Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO) and the Kilifi County Government on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will see the two entities work together to implement various community empowerment programs.

In the MoU signed by SHOFCO Founder and CEO Dr. Kennedy Odede and Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung'aro, the two entities agreed to collaborate in areas of agriculture, water, gender, and health programmes.

“SHOFCO has implemented a variety of programs that have significantly improved the lives of community members in the county through initiatives such as education sponsorships, water interventions, and other services that benefit the community," Governor Mung'aro said.

“The MoU we have signed today solidifies already existing strong partnership between the county and SHOFCO as we strive to move Kilifi County forward.” 

The governor also thanked SHOFCO for sponsoring 202 youth to join Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions and for paying school fees to over 400 students in the county.

“SHOFCO’s holistic approach to development issues is commendable. It is hard to find a partner that agrees to support various development programmes," the governor stated.

“As the leader of this county, I’m going to give it the full support it needs to work and partner where possible.”

On his part, Dr Odede said since SHOFCO landed in Kilifi four years ago, he has seen a lot of commitment and resilience from the area residents.

“Kilifi people are innovative. When I came here two years ago, they asked me to help them start smart farming. That’s what I’ve not seen in other countries we work in," Odede said.

“Right now, women are doing agribusiness through smart farming and this is commendable.” 

He added:

“With the signing of the MoU today, we will greatly scale up our activities in this county to ensure that every vulnerable person is supported to earn a living.”

Speaking when he launched a 3-storey Community Resource Centre constructed by SHOFCO, Odede said his organisation is focused on leaving a long-lasting legacy that will benefit generations.

“This resource centre signifies our commitment to leave a long-lasting legacy. The building itself will last for many years and children using the library are our future generation," he stated.

“That is the impact we want to leave behind as SHOFCO everywhere we go; we transform the current generation and build the future generation.” 

The SHOFCO founder also launched a shallow well constructed by his organisation which will benefit over 500 residents of Kiwandani Ward.

“This is just a pilot project. We also have a similar one in Majengo in Kilifi South sub-county. We will do a replica across all the wards in Kilifi County shortly because this will enable our people to do irrigation agriculture and avoid depending on rain-fed farming,” he added.

SHOFCO currently works in 35 counties across Kenya, serving over four million people directly.

The organisation signed a similar MoU with the Vihiga County government last week.

During the signing, Vihiga Governor Wilber Ottichilo described the MoU as “special and encompassing”.

Before ending his coast region tour,  Odede handed over Sh2 million to the Mombasa County Government on Friday to support bright but needy students.

“We are grateful for this support. Odede is a man of actions; he delivers what he promises,” Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir said when he received the scholarship cheques.

He added:

“This effort will go a long way to supplement the existing work being done by the County Government to enhance education among our youth primarily the Governor’s No Child Left Behind program.”

SHOFCO will celebrate 20 years of operation in June this year.

The organisation has received several global recognitions for its community-led change and was picked by the Bridgespan Group in June 2022 as a model for other NGOs to emulate worldwide.