Success in athletics and rugby has established Kenya as a global sporting powerhouse. Despite the popularity and ubiquity of football, elite-level success in the beautiful game has proved to be elusive for Kenyans.
It is a thought that has nagged Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa, who spent some time in North London and got to observe and understand the impact football has on communities.
“My dream is to make sure that in the same way that we generate lots of athletes into Europe, into very big competitions in other countries, in Boston and so on, we should be generating (footballers); we should be watching our own stars playing for Arsenal, my team in the UK or any other teams that anyone else supports. The same way we created rugby stars, the same way legendary athletes have been created. The athletes we see at the global stage come from ordinary villages,” says Ndegwa.
Ndegwa, who sees himself as playing as a midfielder, is a long-suffering Arsenal fan who had hopes that this season would be the one.
“I lived in the UK for six years. That’s when I developed the interest in Arsenal. I lived at some point in North London. That is the reason I support Arsenal. It used to do very well, of course, it has continued to do in a different way, but this year was looking very good,” Ndegwa muses, in the way of most Gunners globally.
To actualise Chapa Dimba, Safaricom partners with Football Kenya Federation (FKF) to ensure the tournament meets all the required football standards and has credibility.
This will be the fourth edition of Chapa Dimba. The first edition was held in 2018, the second in 2019, while the third edition was paused midway in 2020 due to the eruption of the Covid-19 pandemic.
And as the CEO explains, the return is by public demand: “This is the one platform that we have been told by our customers, that they miss in a major way. That they want to connect back to it and it is one that encourages competition, inspires wanting to do more, but also creates a sense of place, a hope for the future. It is also about transforming lives.”
The telco took to the greens in 2022 sponsoring the inaugural Safaricom Golf Tour in a bid to demystify a sport thought to be elite. Success was attained on the golf course but for a company whose CEO proudly states, “sells products to every single adult in every county, in this country” a mass supported sport tugs more hearts and football’s call had to be answered.
“Football is one thing that really connects with people at a natural level. When you go and watch a football game, you connect with others. There’s an atmosphere of sociability. We all grew up playing football on the street, and also in school, and we all support football teams. So, it’s about bringing people together. Football, if you look at the country, it’s the most penetrated grassroots sport,” says Ndegwa.
Watch the video below to learn more.
