At just 25 years old, Abdi Dahir has known responsibility far earlier than most. Raised in Garissa, he works as a turn boy, a job that demands long hours and physical grit just to keep life moving. Every day begins before dawn, with Abdi navigating his way to Eastleigh, where commerce never sleeps and the streets hum with the energy of traders, transporters, and matatus weaving through traffic.
By morning, he is already deep into work, loading goods, arranging cargo, and ensuring trucks are ready for the journey back to Garissa. It was meant to be another ordinary day, no different from countless others he had lived. But before sunset, everything he knew would change.
While balancing sacks and paperwork, his phone buzzed in his pocket. Abdi hesitated. As the eldest of eight children and the only one providing for the family, calls usually meant requests for help; school fees, rent, food, or a friend hoping for a short-term loan. He almost let it ring out.
When he finally answered, the voice on the line delivered news he never imagined hearing: he had been selected as a winner in the Safaricom Shangwe @25 promotion. For a moment, Abdi stood still, unsure whether the words were real. The noise of Eastleigh blurred into the background as years of struggle, sacrifice, and quiet prayer rushed through him.
“I survive on small jobs and small margins,” he said later, still in disbelief. “The airtime I buy just to call customers has now changed my entire life.”
The weight he had carried for years suddenly felt lighter. There were memories of missed meals so his younger siblings could eat, sleepless nights spent worrying about school fees, and constant anxiety over how to stretch a day’s earnings to support a family of eight. One phone call had rewritten all of it.
For Abdi, the win represents more than money—it is a second chance. His biggest dream has always been to give his mother a proper home. “I wanted to build her a decent house, but my income could never allow it,” he said softly. “Now, I can finally do it. She deserves that dignity.”
Beyond housing, Abdi plans to invest in his siblings’ education, ensuring they have opportunities he never had. What once felt unreachable is now within sight.
Yet his vision extends beyond his household. As part of his prize, Abdi received an additional KES 250,000 to support a community initiative. Without hesitation, he chose Sangailu Primary School in Garissa—a place where pupils often lack basic furniture and reliable access to water.
“I want to buy desks and water tanks,” he explained. “Children should not struggle just to sit in class or find drinking water. If I can help make school a little easier for them, maybe their future will be brighter than mine was.”
Abdi hopes his story will inspire other Kenyans to believe that opportunity can come from the most unexpected places.
Safaricom’s Shangwe @25 promotion continues to reward customers nationwide, offering daily and weekly prizes that include cash, devices, business support tools, and data bundles. Since its launch, more than 50,000 winners are being rewarded every week, with over five million Kenyans expected to benefit before the campaign ends.
Customers can take part by using M-PESA services, sending or paying money, redeeming Bonga Points, or purchasing Safaricom products such as data bundles, voice bundles, digital services, and Home Fibre.
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