A decision to maintain a dividend payout of Ksh 48.08 billion for the financial year ended March 2025 has placed shareholders of Kenya’s largest listed company in line for steady returns, marking continuity in capital distribution at a time of rising share performance.
Safaricom confirmed the payout following approvals at its seventeenth Annual General Meeting, where investors endorsed a final dividend of Ksh 0.65 per share, bringing the year’s total to Ksh 1.20 per share.
The decision extends a three-year streak of unchanged dividends, reflecting both a commitment to rewarding shareholders and the capacity to sustain strong cash flows while absorbing the costs of its Ethiopian expansion.
This distribution comes as Safaricom’s share price has gained 68.7 percent over the past year, lifting the company’s market capitalisation beyond Ksh 1 trillion by the end of June, an achievement that reinforces its position as one of the most valuable firms in the region.
“We closed the financial year on a strong note, surpassing USD 3 billion in total revenue, a clear signal of our business resilience and growth momentum.
As at 30 June 2025, Safaricom Plc market capitalisation crossed the Ksh 1 trillion mark, reinforcing our position as one of the region’s most valuable listed entities.
It reflects not only our solid earnings but also the strategic clarity embedded in our Vision 2030 roadmap, which continues to inspire belief in our long-term value creation,” said Peter Ndegwa, Group Chief Executive Officer.
Cumulatively, shareholders will have received Ksh 255 billion in dividends over the past five years, a scale of returns that positions the firm among Africa’s most generous corporate payers.
The consistency of the payout is particularly notable given the challenges of establishing operations in Ethiopia, where currency reforms introduced in July 2024 led to depreciation of the Birr and added pressure to initial capital outlays.
Despite these headwinds, Safaricom has kept its distribution policy intact, balancing expansion needs with investor returns. The final dividend will be payable on or about August 31 to shareholders registered as of July 31.
“This is how we will future proof Safaricom by balancing growth today with innovation for tomorrow. Since launching our Vision 2025 strategy in FY2021, we have attained a remarkable Group revenue growth of 48.6 percent, translating to an 8.2 percent compounded annual growth rate,” said Adil Khawaja, Chairman of the Board.
The six strategic priorities of the Vision 2030 plan include acceleration of 4G device uptake and affordability, deepening customer segmentation through artificial intelligence and personalisation, broadening mobile financial services beyond payments, achieving positive earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation in Ethiopia, advancing Africa’s digital transformation agenda, and connecting two million homes and enterprises through fixed broadband.
Management views these as the pillars for future-proofing the company while sustaining competitive advantage.
Beyond financial distributions, the Annual General Meeting also reaffirmed governance continuity with the re-election of directors Edward Okaro, Rita Kavashe, and James Wambugu.
The continuity in board leadership is expected to provide stability as the company navigates the dual challenges of strengthening its Kenyan base while embedding its presence in Ethiopia.
The dividend policy and Vision 2030 framework together illustrate a strategy of steady capital returns accompanied by ambitious investment in long-term growth.
For investors, the blend of immediate yield and longer-horizon expansion presents a proposition that has already found expression in the sharp re-rating of the share price over the past year, anchoring Safaricom as a central player in East Africa’s corporate and economic landscape.
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