How Tujiamini by SportPesa Is Empowering Kenya’s Grassroots Sports and Talent

Kenya is blessed with abundant sports talent and creative potential, especially at the grassroots level.

However, many promising athletes, teams, and community projects face a chronic lack of funding and opportunities to progress.

Recognizing this gap, SportPesa, one of Kenya’s most influential sports and gaming brands, launched the Tujiamini initiative—a comprehensive sponsorship and empowerment program dedicated to uplifting grassroots sports and talent across the country.

In its second year running in 2025, with increased funding and renewed focus, Tujiamini is transforming opportunities and fueling dreams across Kenya’s regions.

What Is Tujiamini?

Tujiamini, which means “Believe in Yourself” in Swahili, is a flagship social responsibility initiative by SportPesa Kenya designed to support talented individuals, grassroots teams, and community-led projects through monthly awards, sponsorships, mentorships, and training.

Launched in 2024 with an initial investment of Ksh 30 million, the program quickly demonstrated impact by supporting over 750 participants and 11 grassroots football teams in its first year.

This success spurred SportPesa to increase investment to Ksh 70 million in 2025, seeking to expand reach and deepen the impact across sports and creative talent ecosystems.

How the Program Works: Award Structure for 2025

Tujiamini’s 2025 edition reshaped its award categories to emphasize community ownership and sustainable empowerment, with the following key award streams:

Award Category	Amount	Recipients	Focus Area
Gold Community Award	Ksh 1,000,000	1 monthly	Community-owned projects
Silver Awards	Ksh 100,000 each	3 monthly	Sports or talent development
Bronze Awards	Ksh 10,000 each	50 monthly	Growing ambitions support
Cheza Dimba Award (Men)	Ksh 250,000 annually	Selected teams	3-year football sponsorship
Cheza Dimba Award (Women)	Ksh 50,000 one-off	Selected teams	Women’s football development

Gold Community Award: This prestigious monthly award allocates Ksh 1 million to community-owned projects focused on grassroots empowerment.

These projects range from sports, agriculture, health, to media initiatives that create meaningful local impact.

Silver Awards: Each month, three individuals or groups receive Ksh 100,000 each to support their sports or talent development.

Bronze Awards: Fifty winners monthly receive Ksh 10,000 each to aid growing ambitions.

Cheza Dimba Award: Specifically for grassroots football teams, this includes a three-year sponsorship package worth Ksh 250,000 annually for men’s teams and a one-off Ksh 50,000 for women’s teams, helping them move up the promotion ladder.

Empowering Grassroots Sports and Teams

The Cheza Dimba sponsorship is a cornerstone of the initiative’s contribution to grassroots football, providing financial support vital for teams in regional and lower leagues to sustain operations, buy equipment, and compete effectively.

Tujiamini’s partnership helps nurture talent early and keeps players motivated to progress professionally.

Notable beneficiaries include football teams like Home Base FC in Kirinyaga County, whose dairy farming profits now also support the team’s activities—an innovative community model made stronger by Tujiamini’s support.

Beyond football, Tujiamini supports a broad range of sporting disciplines including rugby and athletics.

By providing resources to athletes and clubs, the initiative reduces financial barriers preventing talented Kenyans from realizing their potential and competing nationally or internationally.

Supporting Talent Beyond Sports

While sports remain a primary focus, Tujiamini recognizes that Kenya’s creativity extends into other areas, including youth entrepreneurship and media.

The Gold Community Award’s pivot to community-driven projects means that health, education, agriculture, and media projects receive crucial funding and mentorship.

For example, a dairy farming cooperative supporting a local team also began milk value addition thanks to Tujiamini funds, creating jobs and increasing sustainability while fostering sports development.

Additionally, the program offers mentorship and leadership development opportunities, arming emerging talents with vital skills beyond financial aid.

This holistic approach ensures long-term empowerment, encouraging beneficiaries to grow into community leaders and role models.

Application Process: How to Join Tujiamini

Applications for the Tujiamini Awards are open to all passionate and talented individuals, groups, and grassroots teams across Kenya.

Eligible participants can apply online through the official Tujiamini website, submitting detailed stories, plans, and evidence of impact or potential.

The process includes several categories, each with specific criteria and selection protocols to ensure transparency and fairness.

Tips for applicants include showcasing measurable community benefits, innovative ideas, and how funding will be utilized effectively.

After winning, recipients receive continuous support, monitoring, and exposure to maximize the impact of the awards.

The Vision Forward: Tujiamini and Sustainable Community Empowerment

Tujiamini is more than a sponsorship program—it is a vision for sustained grassroots development and talent empowerment in Kenya.

SportPesa’s commitment through increased funding and structured award categories aims to build a thriving ecosystem where young talents can grow without financial constraints.

The 2025 edition aims to deepen outreach, strengthen community projects, and expand its footprint across all Kenyan regions.

SportPesa and its partners envision Tujiamini as a driving force behind the next generation of athletes, entrepreneurs, creatives, and community leaders who can compete globally while uplifting local communities.

This vision aligns with SportPesa’s broader social responsibility ethos to drive change beyond gaming and betting, directly investing in people and communities.

“Tujiamini by SportPesa is redefining grassroots sports and talent support in Kenya, turning belief in oneself into tangible success while fostering community upliftment through strategic funding and empowerment.”