In an exclusive one-on-one interview with LTN Sports, Safaricom Western Region Business Lead Gunilla Ouko shared the ambitious vision behind the fifth edition of Chapa Dimba , from taking winners to Sweden’s Gothia Cup, introducing AI-powered talent tracking, to launching the inspiring Capture the Good initiative focused on community impact stories.

For years, Chapa Dimba has been known as a football tournament that discovers raw talent across Kenya. But in its fifth edition, Safaricom is aiming for something much bigger transforming lives, opening global opportunities, and telling stories of hope from the grassroots.

At the center of that vision is Gunilla Ouko, Safaricom’s Western Region Business Lead, who oversees operations across 10 counties in Nyanza and Western Kenya. Speaking passionately to LTN Sports , Ouko painted the picture of a tournament no longer just focused on competition, but on building futures.

“This year is different because we are thinking long-term about the young people,” she said as she explained why the tournament age bracket was lowered from 16–20 years to 15–18 years.

According to Ouko, the decision was strategic, giving players more time to grow while aligning Kenya’s youth football with international standards.

“When they’re saying a junior team internationally, it’s below 18. So we wanted to fit with those international expectations but more importantly give young people the opportunity to showcase their talent early.”

But perhaps the biggest dream unveiled by Safaricom is the journey awaiting this year’s champions.

Instead of attending a boot camp like previous winners, the victorious boys’ and girls’ teams will travel to Gothenburg, Sweden, for the world-famous Gothia Cup , one of the biggest youth football tournaments globally.

For Ouko, that opportunity represents more than football.

“I’m a winner in my country, but can I be a winner globally?” she posed. “It gives them an opportunity to showcase their talent globally because people are coming to look for talent.”

It is a bold statement of intent from Safaricom, taking Kenyan grassroots football from dusty local pitches to an international stage where careers can be born.

To strengthen that dream, Safaricom is also introducing modern technology into the tournament through Artificial Intelligence-powered performance tracking. Players will wear AI vests capable of monitoring movement, speed, dribbling patterns, and overall gameplay intelligence.

The company will additionally use video analysis to track ball movement and possession, creating detailed player profiles that can help scouts and talent developers better understand each athlete.

For many young footballers who rarely access professional-level exposure, the innovation could become a game changer.

Yet football was only one side of the story told during the launch event in Kisumu.

Safaricom also broke ground for a modern computer laboratory at Kisumu Boys High School after discovering that students were sharing extremely limited digital resources.

“I found three boys sitting on one computer,” Ouko revealed.

For the telecommunications giant, that moment reflected a bigger challenge facing many young people, limited access to opportunity. The planned facility is expected to benefit nearly 1,700 students and improve digital learning within the school.

At the same time, Safaricom launched Capture the Good, a new initiative encouraging Kenyans to document positive stories happening in their communities through photography.

The project is designed to highlight the impact of community investments ranging from schools and hospitals to empowerment programs supported by Safaricom.

“Safaricom does a lot of good in the community. We’ve built hospitals, schools and empowered people, but now we want people to capture these stories,” Ouko explained.

The initiative will reward participants who best showcase positive transformation happening around them.

Throughout the launch, one message remained consistent, inclusion, opportunity and grassroots empowerment.

Safaricom has now expanded Chapa Dimba into eight regions nationwide, separating Nyanza and Western regions to allow more teams and young players a fair chance to compete.

The rewards have also increased significantly, with the winning boys’ and girls’ teams each set to receive Ksh.1 million.

As fans filled the venue and young players took to the pitch, Ouko described the atmosphere as proof that communities are ready to support youth dreams when given the opportunity.

“We want teams to register. Let’s register,” she urged.

Registration Link: https://chapadimba.safaricom.co.ke/registration/