This archive report was first published on 24 October 2019.
On October 24, 2019, Safaricom, Kenya's largest telecommunications company, made a significant announcement to mark its 19th anniversary. The company, led by Interim Chief Executive Michael Joseph, decided to abolish the expiry dates for its data bundles and voice calls.
According to Joseph, the decision was made to ensure that Safaricom remains relevant to its customers in the future. He acknowledged that the company had received numerous surveys indicating that Safaricom was not regarded as the most trustworthy company.
Joseph emphasized that the company wanted to be simple, transparent, and honest with its customers. He stated, 'This is the time for us to say, let's look back and start with a clean sheet of paper...we want to be simple, transparent and honest with you.'
The new strategy will allow Safaricom's 33 million customers to purchase talk time and data bundles for any amount from as low as Sh1. Additionally, customers purchasing the new call and text plans will receive 50% extra talk time in a special offer.
Joseph admitted that the latest changes would initially have an impact on Safaricom's finances but expected to see a corresponding increase in revenue in the long-term. He also announced plans to serve customers in under five minutes at the company's shops and call centre.
Furthermore, Joseph revealed that plans for a new CEO to replace the late Bob Collymore would be finalized in a few months. He also stated that Safaricom was not worried about the merger between Telkom and Airtel, citing only a reservation about the equitable distribution of spectrum.
