By Amos Mzenge
Think back to your first brush with money. For some, it was the thrill of holding a few coins after helping in the family shop. For others, it was pocket change for a trip to the kiosk. The lesson was often improvised: money vanished quickly when spent on treats but save it patiently and it could become something bigger. Rarely was there structured guidance from parents or schools. That gap has followed many of us into adulthood.
Too many in previous generations learned about money the hard way—through trial, error, and in some cases, lifelong debt. Saving was often treated as optional, budgeting as restrictive, and investing as something reserved for the wealthy. The result was a society where financial discipline is the exception rather than the norm. Unsurprisingly, only 15% of Kenyans are actively saving for retirement according to a 2022 survey by Enwealth Financial Services.
This cycle doesn’t have to repeat itself. Today’s children have the chance to learn better money habits, earlier and more consistently, than we ever did. But only if we make financial literacy a deliberate part of their upbringing at home, in school and even churches.
Encouragingly, there are signs of change. For instance, the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya and Enwealth Foundation recently signed an agreement to bring financial literacy lessons into Sunday school programs. What is striking about this move is not the logos on the memorandum, but the recognition it represents: financial education is no longer just the responsibility of parents or schools. It is a shared societal task. Rooting money lessons in values like generosity and stewardship, the initiative emphasizes that financial habits are as much about character as they are about arithmetic.
And the urgency is real. A child who learns to divide an allowance into “spend,” “save,” and “give” jars develops a mindset that will last a lifetime. Without those early lessons, the same child may repeat the patterns of impulsive spending and chronic debt that have become all too common in our society. And because habits formed young are the hardest to break, the best time to shape a financially literate adult is in childhood.
But here’s the twist: today’s children are digital natives. They live in a world of swipes, screens, and instant feedback. If financial literacy is going to resonate, it cannot remain confined to textbooks or one-off school talks. We have to meet children where they are—on their devices.
Picture this. A savings app designed for kids where setting aside 50 shillings lights up a progress bar toward a bicycle. A digital game that challenges children to allocate virtual coins between “needs,” “wants,” and “sharing,” then shows how their choices play out for a character in the game. Or simple mobile nudges reminding a family to “add to your Future Jar today” instead of them taking a cash reward after helping out at home. Technology can make the invisible visible and turn dull lessons about budgeting into interactive, memorable experiences.
Kenya is better positioned than most to lead in this space. Mobile money, banking and investment apps are part of daily life. In fact, for many families, a mobile phone is the first bank. If adults can borrow, save, and invest through their devices, why shouldn’t children be introduced to the same ecosystem—simplified, gamified and age-appropriate? With smartphones and mobile wallets more accessible than ever, the tools for change are already in our hands.
This conversation is not about teaching children to count coins. It is about equipping them to see money as a tool for planning, resilience, and even generosity. It is about breaking cycles of financial mismanagement by planting healthier habits early. And it is about ensuring that as Kenya’s economy grows, its next generation grows with the skills to participate wisely and confidently.
Sunday school lessons on generosity are a good start. So are family conversations about budgeting. But we cannot stop there. Let us embrace the digital piggy banks, budgeting apps, and playful nudges that will make financial literacy second nature. When values meet technology, we have a chance to raise not just children who can earn, but adults who can manage, share, and invest.
Because if children can spend hours mastering mobile games, they can certainly learn how to save. And that may be the most valuable lesson we can give them.
The Writer is the Manager, Enwealth Capital Ltd.
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