This archive report was first published on 23 October 2019.
On October 23, 2019, Kenya's biggest communication firm Safaricom announced it would abolish expiry dates on data packages it offers, marking 19 years in service.
The move was made public on a day when a lawyer and ICT technician, Adrian Kamotho, filed a complaint at the Communications and Multimedia Appeals Tribunal, demanding that telcos in the country totally abolish data bundle expirations.
The restrictions required a user to spend the bundles within a given timeframe or lose the balance, a practice that had been rising complaints from customers.
However, Safaricom retained an option for customers to buy bundles with expiry date - usually a day, a month or three months.
The company also announced other changes, including new SMS and voice call packages that would not be time-barred, giving customers freedom to communicate for as low as one-dollar cent (Ksh1) under clearly defined packages.
Additionally, Safaricom set a maximum time of five minutes to serve a customer through the call centers or its shops.
The move came as the company was facing mounting complaints from customers on restrictions on data bundles and difficulty in accessing customer care services through the congested call centers.
Interim CEO Michael Joseph said, 'We are starting afresh and going forward we aim to be even more simple, transparent and honest in everything that we do.'
