Safaricom has launched the fifth season of its youth football tournament, Safaricom Chapa Dimba, with a major focus on technology-driven scouting, global exposure, and education opportunities for young footballers across the country.
The new season, unveiled in Kisumu, introduces advanced AI-powered scouting systems and a direct pathway for top players to compete in the internationally renowned Gothia Cup in Sweden.
Under the new structure, 32 outstanding players selected from the tournament will form an All-Star team that will represent Kenya at the Gothia Cup, widely regarded as the world’s largest youth football tournament. The initiative replaces the international bootcamp programmes used in previous editions and is expected to give players more competitive international exposure.
At the same time, Safaricom has announced that 150 exceptional players will benefit from tertiary scholarships under the Citizens of the Future programme as part of efforts to combine sports and education.
Speaking during the launch, Peter Ndegwa said the company is intentionally building long-term opportunities for young people beyond football.
“We are intentionally building pathways that combine sports, education, and technology to empower the next generation. Our goal is not just to develop footballers, but to nurture well-rounded young people who can positively transform their communities and the country,” said Ndegwa.
In a significant change this season, the age category has been revised from 16–20 years to 15–18 years to allow earlier talent identification and development into professional football systems both locally and internationally.
Safaricom is also expanding the use of technology in grassroots football by introducing enhanced scouting tools including VeO Cameras and MyScout AI devices from the county stages of the competition.
The technologies will complement the AI-powered GPS vests introduced last season and are expected to support data-driven scouting by monitoring player movement, sprint metrics, positioning, intensity, and overall performance. The system will also help create digital player profiles accessible to scouts and football clubs globally.
“This season, we are taking technology deeper into grassroots football because we believe no talent should go unnoticed. Through data and digital player profiling, we are creating more structured pathways for young players to access opportunities locally and globally,” added Ndegwa.
The competition will be staged across eight regions nationwide and will follow five levels — ward, county, inter-county, regional, and national finals.
Registration for both boys’ and girls’ teams is currently ongoing through Safaricom Chapa Dimba.
Winning teams in both categories will each walk away with KES 1 million, while county and regional winners will also receive prizes alongside individual awards for Most Valuable Player, Top Scorer, and Best Goalkeeper.
Since its inception in 2017, the tournament has produced several Kenyan football stars including Benson Omalla, Bryton Otieno, Austine Odongo, Derrick Oketch, Jentrix Shikangwa, Marion Serenge and Mercy Akoth, with some former participants going on to represent Kenya in international competitions including the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
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