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M-PESA Foundation scholarships 2026: who qualifies

The M-PESA Foundation Academy and the Citizens of the Future programme: eligibility, documents, how to apply, and whether either is open now.

DW
by Reviewed by Josephine Njeri 5 min read Updated 16 October 2026Verified 16 Oct 2026

Two different scholarships

People searching “M-PESA Foundation scholarship” usually mean one of two things:

  • The M-PESA Foundation Academy in Thika, a residential school that admits students after junior secondary on full scholarship.
  • Citizens of the Future, a scholarship programme for Kenyan students. Its About page describes scholarships at secondary, TVET and university levels.

Wings to Fly is not one of them. Equity Group Foundation describes it as an initiative of Equity Group and the Mastercard Foundation, with its own application process.

The M-PESA Foundation Academy

The Academy describes full scholarships and personalised mentorship in a three-year residential programme. Admission is independent of the national placement system, so being placed elsewhere does not stop you applying.

Who qualifies

  • Students in their final year of junior secondary (Grade 9 or equivalent).
  • Aged between 14 and 16 at the time of entry.
  • From a financially disadvantaged background.
  • Academic ability, leadership potential and community service, which the Academy also looks for.
  • Refugee students duly registered in Kenya are welcome.

What you need

  • The official application form, filled in by the applicant themselves, by hand.
  • Birth certificate.
  • Parent or guardian ID, and a death certificate where a parent has died.
  • Grade 7 and 8 transcripts, and Grade 9 if available.
  • Co-curricular and leadership certificates.
  • A parent or guardian payslip, where there is one.

The Academy says incomplete forms or outdated versions of the form will not be accepted, so get the current form from the Academy itself when the next window opens.

Citizens of the Future

The Citizens of the Future programme says it supports Kenyan students through scholarships, and its About page names secondary, TVET and university levels. When we checked, its site said applications were closed, and we found no separate university intake page or date. If you are a university or TVET student hoping for support, watch the programme's site rather than social media posts.

Dates you may see elsewhere

Some websites give a deadline for the next intake or say forms are available at Safaricom shops. We could not confirm either on the Foundation's or the Academy's own pages, so we do not repeat them. If you see a date, check it on mpesafoundationacademy.ac.ke or citizenofthefuture.org before you rely on it.

Contacts

  • M-PESA Foundation Academy: P.O. Box 7954, 01000 Thika; +254 703 200 000; info@mpesafoundationacademy.ac.ke.
  • M-PESA Foundation: +254 722 001 111; Mpesafoundation@Safaricom.co.ke.

Do not pay for a scholarship

None of the official pages we read mentions an application fee. A message offering a form, a guaranteed place or a faster decision for a payment is not from the Foundation. Keep your child's documents with you and send them only through the Academy's own process.

Sources