This archive report was first published on 25 October 2019.
On October 25, 2019, Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph spoke to Citizen TV's Yvonne Okwara about the company's succession process, which had been ongoing for nearly 12 months.
Joseph played down the selection of Peter Ndegwa as the new CEO, saying it was 'just a natural progression' rather than a response to external pressure.
However, he acknowledged that there were pockets of pressure from various stakeholders, including the government, which had expressed a desire for a Kenyan to lead the company.
Joseph revealed that the board had considered several candidates, including Chief Customer Officer Sylvia Mulinge, but ultimately chose Ndegwa due to his multinational experience and ability to appease all concerned parties.
As the new CEO, Ndegwa will face the challenge of addressing consumer dissatisfaction and improving service delivery, which has been a major issue for the company in recent times.
Joseph admitted that Safaricom had become complacent and lost touch with its customers, but vowed to correct this anomaly and restore the company's focus on customer service.
