Kennedy Odede

Kennedy Odede is a Kenyan social entrepreneur and community organizer who founded Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO), a grassroots movement transforming urban slums through community-led initiatives. Growing up in Kibera, Africa’s largest slum, Odede experienced extreme poverty firsthand. In 2004, he used his savings to buy a soccer ball, which led to the creation of SHOFCO. Today, SHOFCO impacts over 2.4 million people across 14 urban slums in Kenya, providing services such as free education, healthcare, clean water, and economic empowerment programs. Under Odede’s leadership, SHOFCO has become the largest grassroots organization in Kibera and has received several prestigious awards, including the 2018 Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize.