Larry Madowo's 90 minutes UN fundraiser nets billions for education in lower-income countries

Larry Madowo moderated a high-stakes fundraiser at the UN General Assembly in New York that pulled in a whopping Sh453 billion in just 90 minutes.

The CNN broadcaster moderated the session on September 24, and by the end of it, even he was left speechless.

The funds raised are earmarked to support education across 90 lower-income countries, with organisers describing the initiative as a push to ensure no child is left behind.

For Madowo, the event carried personal weight.

Sharing the news on social media, he called it a historic "harambee" and connected it back to his own upbringing.

The scale of generosity in the room caught even the seasoned journalist off guard.

He admitted he had started the session keeping a running count of the donations, but quickly gave up once the numbers became almost impossible to track.

Madowo also joked that the fundraiser had permanently changed how he'll view similar events back home.

His post quickly drew a wave of reactions from Kenyans online.

Some expressed pride at seeing a fellow Kenyan moderate an event of that scale on such a global stage.

Others expressed more scepticism, questioning whether the session's pledges would actually be honoured and how organisations would track the funds after distributing them across 90 countries.

During the 81st UNGA, Kenya also sealed a landmark artificial intelligence partnership with American AI giant Anthropic.

The two parties signed a Joint Declaration in New York on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, marking a major step in Kenya's push into the global AI space.

President William Ruto heads Kenya's delegation to the 81st United Nations General Assembly, where they reached the deal.

The trip affirmed Kenya's push to boost Africa's voice on peace, development, and digital transformation on the world stage.

Ruto has repeatedly linked AI to regional and global partnerships, arguing that Kenya and Africa need to pool resources, talent, and infrastructure to capture real value from AI, rather than simply depending on systems built elsewhere.