Safaricom’s Impact on Kenya’s Economy Tops Ksh1 Trillion  16 Times Its Profit

Safaricom’s impact on Kenya’s economy and society has reached new heights, with the company reporting a True Value of Ksh1.1 trillion in the 2025 financial year 16 times greater than its financial profit.

The findings, released in Safaricom’s latest Sustainable Business Report, show that the telco contributed Ksh809 billion to the country’s GDP through its operations.

The milestone underscores the company’s growing influence not just as a business, but as a key player in Kenya’s social and environmental development.

According to the report, the surge in True Value was driven by increased value creation for customers, agents, and merchants through M-PESA, deeper investments in social impact programmes, and higher capital and operational spending that supported jobs and economic activity.

“Over the past 25 years, Safaricom has evolved into a purpose-led technology company guided by one mission  to transform lives,” said Dr. Peter Ndegwa, CEO of Safaricom PLC. “Sustainability is not an obligation but a core part of how we do business.”

Driving Change Through Technology

Under the theme “Anchored on Purpose, Accelerating a Digital Future,” the report highlights how Safaricom is using innovation and partnerships to extend opportunities to millions of Kenyans from improving access to education and healthcare to expanding financial inclusion.

In agriculture, Digifarm disbursed Ksh945 million in credit across 169,000 loans, giving farmers access to inputs and services. Of these, 36% of beneficiaries were women and 17% were youth. Smartphone ownership also grew to 50%, supported by the Lipa Mdogo Mdogo plan.

Safaricom’s commitment to digital inclusion also saw the number of smartphones on its network grow from 22.9 million to 27.3 million, while nine early-stage startups received support through the Spark Fund Accelerator Programme.

Greening the Future

Safaricom continued its environmental push, planting over 830,000 trees planted, 694 hectares restored, across 8 counties, engaging over 4,000 community members in FY 24/25.

 The company has now grown 2. 3 million trees against a target of 5million by 2030.

It also achieved a 99% recycling rate, collecting and recycling 190 tons of e-waste and 62 tons of plastic through M-PESA Green Points.

Safaricom was further recognized on the CDP A-list for climate change leadership and supplier engagement and fenced 15 kilometres of Kakamega Forest as part of its conservation efforts.

Inclusive and Responsible Growth

Safaricom maintained near gender balance across its workforce, with 49% female employees and 45% women in senior leadership roles. People with disabilities now make up 3.6% of its staff.

The company’s focus on personalization through artificial intelligence also paid off, leading to a 15.2% rise in mobile data revenue and a 14% increase in data usage per customer.

On governance, Safaricom was awarded the ISO 27701 certification for privacy information management the highest global standard for data protection.

Its use of AI helped cut fraud by 87%, and the system even identified and reported 14 poachers linked to illegal transactions on M-PESA.

Beyond Profit

Safaricom’s trillion-shilling True Value reflects more than financial success  it shows how a business can shape lives, drive economic growth, and protect the environment while remaining accountable.

As Dr. Ndegwa noted, “We continue to hold ourselves accountable, using the Sustainable Development Goals as our blueprint for impact.”

Safaricom’s journey, 25 years on, demonstrates that profit and purpose can move hand in hand and that technology, when guided by purpose, can power not just connection, but transformation.