Also known as: South Africa's Vodacom Group
South African telecom company that acquired a 55% majority stake in Safaricom following government share sale.
News reports
Order a long-term news report on Vodacom Group
Every mention in the Kenyan press over the period you choose, compiled as a PDF or Word document.
Verbatim sentences from the source article.
The Standard
President William Ruto’s cash-strapped government faces the prospect of refunding the Sh245 billion that it earned from the partial sale of its 15 per cent shareholding to Vodacom Group after the High Court nullified the sale in a ruling on Tuesday. …
Treasury faces Sh245b refund bill in bungled Safaricom shares saleCitizen Digital
… "We were equally pleased to note the completion of the transaction increasing Vodacom Group's shareholding in Safaricom this year. …
Safaricom announces record Ksh.80.13B shareholder payout for FY2026Citizen Digital
… Her departure also comes weeks after the Government of Kenya completed the sale of its remaining 15 per cent stake in Safaricom to Vodacom Group, increasing the South African telecommunications company's shareholding to 59 per cent, while the government ceased to be a direct shar …
'The time feels right for a new chapter': Esther Waititu speaks after Safaricom exit announcementThe Standard
Vodafone Kenya, a subsidiary of South Africa's Vodacom Group, will gain the power to nominate Safaricom's next chief executive, but the board must ensure a "predominantly Kenyan character" in senior management, under governance changes set for a shareholder vote later this month. …
SA's Vodacom wins Safaricom CEO post as State loses controlThe Standard
Vodafone Kenya, a subsidiary of South Africa's Vodacom Group, will gain the power to nominate Safaricom's next chief executive, but the board must ensure a "predominantly Kenyan character" in senior management, under governance changes set for a shareholder vote later this month. …
Kenya loses control as SA's Vodacom wins Safaricom CEO postCitizen Digital
… PHOTO | WPF Audio By Vocalize Barely four days after the government completed the sale of a 15 per cent stake in Safaricom to South Africa's telecom giant Vodacom Group, the opposition has renewed its legal battle against the transaction. …
'Economic abduction!' Opposition to appeal court ruling clearing Safaricom stake sale to VodacomThe Standard
The National Treasury will get a Sh244.2 billion cash injection after the sale of a 15 per cent stake in Safaricom to South Africa’s Vodacom Group, a transaction that hands the telecom giant’s majority control to foreign investors and ends an era of State dominance in it. …
Broke Treasury eyes Sh244b boon as Safaricom sale deal concludesThe Standard
The National Treasury will get a Sh244.2 billion cash injection after the sale of a 15 per cent stake in Safaricom to South Africa’s Vodacom Group, a transaction that hands the telecom giant’s majority control to foreign investors and ends an era of State dominance in it. …
Broke Treasury eyeing Sh244 billion in Safaricom sale dealCapital News
… Fredrick Onyango Ogola, Paul Maina Mugo and Samuel Kahara Macharia, who are seeking orders to stop the planned divestiture of the Government’s shares in Safaricom in favour of the Vodacom Group. …
Petitioners Ask High Court to Block Planned Sale of Govt Stake in SafaricomThe Standard
Audio By VocalizeThe government's bid to sell its 15 per cent stake in Safaricom to Vodacom Group intensified on Monday after activist Tony Gachoka and other petitioners urged a three-judge bench of the High Court to declare divestiture unconstitutional, illegal and void. …
Activists urge High Court to declare Safaricom share sale unconstitutionalKenya's High Court has nullified the government's sale of its 15 per cent Safaricom shareholding to Vodacom Group, ruling the transaction lacked adequate public participation and transparency and contravened the Constitution and the law. The Treasury now faces the prospect of refunding the Sh245 billion it earned from the partial sale.
17 September 2026 · The Standard →
Kenya's High Court has nullified the government's sale of its 15 per cent Safaricom shareholding to Vodacom Group, ruling the transaction lacked adequate public participation and transparency and contravened the Constitution and the law. The Treasury now faces the prospect of refunding the Sh245 billion it earned from the partial sale.
17 September 2026 · The Standard →
Safaricom shareholders approved a final dividend of Ksh.1.15 per share for the financial year ended March 31, 2026, bringing the total annual dividend to Ksh.2.00 per share—the largest payout in the company's history. The announcement comes as Safaricom's share price rose 50.3 per cent during the year, lifting the company's market value to Ksh.1.10 trillion by March 31, 2026.
31 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Esther Waititu, Safaricom's Chief Financial Services Officer, has spoken publicly following her departure announcement, saying "the time feels right for a new chapter" after nearly three years leading the company's financial services business, which includes M-PESA.
21 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Following South Africa's Vodacom Group's completion of a Sh244.2 billion majority stake acquisition in Safaricom, the company will gain the power to nominate the next chief executive, though the board must maintain a "predominantly Kenyan character" in senior management under governance changes headed for shareholder vote.
9 July 2026 · The Standard →
South Africa's Vodacom Group, which has gained majority control of Safaricom following a Sh244.2 billion stake sale, will nominate the next chief executive under governance changes set for shareholder vote. The board must maintain a "predominantly Kenyan character" in senior management.
9 July 2026 · The Standard →
The opposition has renewed legal action against the government's 15 per cent stake sale in Safaricom to South Africa's Vodacom Group, which was cleared by the Court of Appeal four days after completion. Opposition leaders, including Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, argue the sale was undervalued and opaque, and question why it proceeded while the matter remains pending in the High Court.
3 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
The National Treasury will receive a Sh244.2 billion cash injection after selling a 15 per cent stake in Safaricom to South Africa's Vodacom Group through a block trade on the Nairobi Securities Exchange, effective June 30. The transaction increases Vodacom's stake in Safaricom to 55 per cent from 35 per cent, ending an era of State dominance in the telecom giant.
2 July 2026 · The Standard →
The National Treasury will receive Sh244.2 billion from the sale of a 15 per cent stake in Safaricom to South Africa's Vodacom Group in a transaction effective June 30, increasing Vodacom's stake to 55 per cent and ending State dominance in the telecom company.
2 July 2026 · The Standard →
Petitioners have asked the High Court to declare the Government's proposed sale of a 15 per cent stake in Safaricom unconstitutional, arguing it amounts to unlawful disposal of a strategic national asset. They contend that the Constitution permits the national government to raise revenue only through taxation, levies, charges and borrowing, not by disposing of public investments; the transaction would reduce the Government's shareholding from 35 per cent to 20 per cent while increasing Vodacom's effective ownership to approximately 55 per cent.
30 June 2026 · Capital News →
Activist Tony Gachoka and other petitioners urged a three-judge bench of the High Court to declare the government's planned sale of its 15 per cent Safaricom stake to Vodacom Group unconstitutional, arguing it would hand majority control to foreign entities. The petitioners' lawyers argued the divestiture of more than six billion government-held shares violated the Constitution and the Privatisation Act on grounds including unconstitutional revenue-raising, absent public participation, and undervalued share pricing.
30 June 2026 · The Standard →
Petitioners led by Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka have urged the High Court to declare the government's proposed sale of a 15 per cent stake in Safaricom PLC unconstitutional, arguing that the National Treasury has no constitutional authority to raise revenue through the sale of public assets and that the Constitution only permits revenue-raising through taxation, charges and borrowing.
29 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Airtel Africa is building a $44 million hyperscale data centre in Nairobi with 44 megawatts capacity, expected to be the largest in East Africa and due to go live in the first quarter of 2027. The facility is part of Airtel's strategy to challenge Safaricom's dominance in enterprise and cloud services.
10 May 2026 · The Standard →