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Larry Madowo reveals his mum was a teacher after UN event he hosted raises Ksh453B for education
24th September, 2026 02:27 PM
CNN journalist Larry Madowo has revealed that his mother was a teacher in rural Kenya after hosting a high-level education financing event at the United Nations General Assembly in New York that mobilised US$3.5 billion, equivalent to about Ksh453 billion, for education.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, September 24, 2026, Madowo said the massive fundraising effort was particularly personal to him because of his mother’s background as a teacher, linking his role at the global gathering to the woman who introduced him to the importance of education.
“I hosted an event that raised a modest $3.5 BILLION in 90 minutes yesterday at the UN General Assembly in New York! This small global ‘harambee’ ended with KSh453 BILLION in under 2 hours,” Madowo wrote.
The journalist added that the money would support education in 90 lower-income countries, before explaining the personal connection that made the occasion especially significant to him.
“It will fund education in 90 lower-income countries so that no child is left behind. My mom was a teacher in rural Kenya, so this is personal to me,” he said.
Madowo’s revelation came after he took on a hosting and moderating role at the Multiply Possibility High-Level Event, a major education financing campaign organised by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) during the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The high-level event was held on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, bringing together governments, international organisations, development finance institutions, philanthropies and private-sector partners in an effort to mobilise resources for education in lower-income countries.
The event was co-convened by the governments of Italy and Nigeria alongside GPE, with the gathering billed as a major moment in the campaign to secure sustainable financing for education and improve learning opportunities for children and young people around the world.
The US$3.5 billion (about KSh453 billion) announced at the event comprised US$2.1 billion (about Ksh272 billion) in confirmed and anticipated pledges from sovereign donors to GPE, alongside a further US$1.4 billion (about Ksh181 billion) in co-financing commitments.
The co-financing package included US$1 billion (about Ksh129 billion) from development finance institutions and US$400 million (about Ksh52 billion) from philanthropic and private-sector partners, resources that GPE says can be leveraged alongside its grants to unlock additional financing for education systems.
The commitments came as GPE sought to strengthen education systems across more than 90 lower-income partner countries, with the organisation saying a fully funded strategy could improve education for about 750 million children and young people by 2030.
The event also highlighted the scale of the global education crisis, with organisers noting that about 270 million children and young people remain out of school worldwide.
In lower-income countries, the challenge extends beyond school access, with the event noting that about 70 per cent of schoolchildren cannot read and understand a simple text by the age of 10.
The gathering therefore focused on securing political and financial commitments that could help countries strengthen their education systems, improve learning outcomes and ensure more children have access to quality education.
Among the prominent figures backing the campaign were Nigerian Vice President Kashim Shettima, Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai.
The event was co-chaired by Tajani and Shettima, while Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, and Italy’s Minister of Education and Merit, Giuseppe Valditara, delivered closing remarks.
Malala, who also addressed the gathering, underscored the importance of education investment as countries and international partners seek to tackle the learning crisis.
The event further highlighted the contribution expected from partner countries themselves, with GPE reporting that its partner nations announced US$471 billion (about Ksh61 trillion) in domestic education financing commitments, representing a projected 32 per cent increase in spending by 2030.
The domestic financing commitments are separate from the US$3.5 billion (about Ksh453 billion) in international resources mobilised through the campaign, with GPE saying the national commitments would help countries increasingly drive education progress through their own resources.
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Steve Ireri
Steve is a senior writer with over four years of experience in digital journalism. His focus is on the showbiz and human interest stories. Emails: [email protected] , [email protected]
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