This archive report was first published on 23 October 2019.
On October 23, 2019, Safaricom, Kenya's most profitable company, unveiled a new strategy committing to be simple, transparent, and honest.
The move comes 19 years after the company's operations began, and just months after the demise of its CEO Bob Collymore, who succumbed to cancer on July 1, 2019.
Collymore steered the company for a decade, taking over from Michael Joseph, who is now the acting Safaricom CEO.
During his tenure, Collymore made Safaricom's presence and visibility more prominent, with the 'Twaweza' slogan being a highlight of his career at the telco.
He also involved the company in more social activities, increasing its visibility and relevance to customers.
However, the company has faced criticism over disappearing data bundles, leading to a petition filed with the Communications and Multimedia Appeals Tribunal.
Lawyer Adrian Kamotho wants the telcos to stop expiring data purchased by consumers, accusing them of discriminating against consumers by charging 'out of bundle' rates.
Despite this, Safaricom has rebooted its operations, unveiling a new plan where data bundles and calling minutes will not expire.
The new plan allows customers to purchase both talk time and data bundles for any amount, starting as low as Ksh1.
Customers can also view how much data they have used, get their PUK, and much more on the new menu.
For improved service delivery, the company has promised to serve its customers in under five minutes at its Safaricom shops across the country and at the Call Centre.
Starting November, new customers joining the network will get SIM cards for free at Safaricom shops and dealer outlets.
