This archive report was first published on 22 June 2020.
On May 31, 2020, Safaricom announced a new initiative to distribute electronic versions of Kenya's major newspapers through its safaricom.com portal.
Initially, the lineup included the Daily Nation, The Standard, Business Daily, and The Nairobian, all from The Standard Group and Nation Media Group. However, The Star and People Daily, publications from Radio Africa Group and Mediamax, respectively, were noticeably absent.
That changed on June 22, 2020, when Safaricom announced that The Star and People Daily would be part of its online offerings, available for purchase by subscribers.
Notably, unlike the publications from The Standard Group and Nation Media Group, which cost Kshs 20 daily, The Star and People Daily will cost just Kshs 10 daily, according to a statement from Safaricom quoting Radio Africa Group CEO Patrick Quarcoo, who described this as a special launch offer.
However, it's worth noting that Mediamax already distributes People Daily for free, both physically and online. This raises questions about the incentive to pay an additional Kshs 10 to access it through Safaricom.
Additionally, Safaricom notes that customers' data bundles will not be consumed when reading through each paper, making it a cost-effective option.
Subscribers can access the e-papers by visiting safaricom.com or dialing 550# from their Safaricom line.
