Also known as: South Africa's Vodacom Group
South African telecom group that acquired a 55 percent stake in Safaricom Kenya through a Sh244.2 billion majority acquisition completed in June 2026.
Verbatim sentences from the source article.
The Standard
… The facility under construction in Tatu City, expected to be the largest data centre in East Africa at 44 megawatts, positions Airtel to challenge Safaricom’s stronghold on cloud and corporate data services.The Kenyan unit of Vodacom Group has long led the market in high-margin e …
Airtel takes on Safaricom with Sh5.6b data centreSafaricom 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 →
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 →