Safaricom’s total impact across economic, social, and environmental domains reached Ksh 1.1 trillion in the financial year 2025, a figure sixteen times greater than the company’s reported financial profit, reflecting an expanded role in driving societal and market value.
Safaricom, which trades on the Nairobi Securities Exchange and serves millions of customers nationwide, attributed this growth to enhanced value creation through M-PESA, expanded Corporate Social Investment (CSI) initiatives, and increased operational and capital expenditure that stimulated broader economic activity.
The telecommunications giant reported contributing Ksh 809 billion to the national GDP, reinforcing its position as a critical driver of Kenya’s digital economy.
True Value, the company’s comprehensive assessment metric, captures both positive and negative externalities generated across its operations, encompassing economic output, social benefits, and environmental stewardship. By quantifying these impacts, Safaricom aims to guide corporate strategy toward sustainable and equitable growth while strengthening stakeholder engagement and informing policy discussions.
“Over the past 25 years, Safaricom has evolved into a purpose-led technology company guided by one simple mission: to transform lives by connecting people to people, people to opportunity, and people to information,” said Dr. Peter Ndegwa, Chief Executive Officer at Safaricom, explaining the strategic embedding of sustainability as a core business imperative rather than an ancillary activity.
He noted that the 2025 Sustainable Business Report, now in its 14th edition, uses the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a blueprint to measure and communicate the company’s societal and environmental contributions.
Environmentally, Safaricom’s interventions include the planting of over 830,000 trees and restoration of 694 hectares across eight counties, engaging more than 4,000 community members during FY 24/25. Cumulatively, the company has planted 2.3 million trees toward a 5 million target by 2030 and achieved CDP A-list recognition on climate change and supplier engagement.
Resource recovery initiatives yielded a 99% recycling rate, with 190 tons of e-waste and 62 tons of plastics processed through the M-PESA Green Points programme, while 15km of Kakamega forest was physically protected through fencing.
On the social and digital inclusion front, the number of smartphones on Safaricom’s network grew from 22.93 million to 27.37 million, reflecting rising access to mobile internet. Nine early-stage startups received support under the Spark Fund Accelerator Programme.
Digifarm facilitated Ksh 945 million in credit across 169,000 loans, with women representing 36% and youth 17% of beneficiaries.
Smartphone penetration among the customer base increased to 50%, driven by adoption of the Lipa Mdogo instalment solution, while AI-powered personalization contributed to 15.2% year-on-year growth in mobile data revenue and a 14% increase in usage per customer.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion metrics also advanced, with a near gender balance of 51% male to 49% female employees, 45% female representation in senior leadership, and 3.6% of staff identified as persons with disabilities.
Governance measures strengthened customer trust through ISO 27701 certification in Privacy Information Management Systems, IFRS-aligned disclosures, and AI-enabled fraud detection, which reduced fraudulent transactions by 87% and helped identify 14 wildlife poachers involved in illicit revenue flows through M-PESA.
The report underscores Safaricom’s approach to integrating technology, operational scale, and sustainability into measurable societal impact, highlighting a model where corporate growth and national development objectives are mutually reinforcing.
Analysts suggest that such comprehensive reporting enhances transparency, strengthens stakeholder confidence, and positions the company as a benchmark for corporate responsibility in the region.
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