Vodacom has acquired the Kenyan government’s majority stake in Safaricom, reshaping the ownership structure of East Africa’s largest telecommunications operator and reducing the state’s holding to 20 percent.
The transaction, completed days after a court cleared the sale, marks a significant consolidation move by Vodacom — the Johannesburg-headquartered telecoms group — deepening its footprint in the East African market through one of the continent’s most recognised mobile money and connectivity platforms.
Safaricom, best known for its M-Pesa mobile money service, dominates Kenya’s telecoms landscape and has expanded operations into Ethiopia, making the ownership shift consequential not just for Kenya but for the broader East African region.
The deal signals Kenya’s continued strategy of reducing direct state participation in commercially strategic sectors, a trend seen across several African markets where governments are pulling back from operational roles in favour of regulatory ones — retaining minority stakes while ceding management influence to private operators.
For Vodacom, the acquisition consolidates its position as a major force in African telecoms beyond its traditional southern African base. The group, which is majority-owned by the UK-listed Vodafone, has been expanding its pan-African ambitions, and a strengthened stake in Safaricom gives it greater influence over one of the continent’s most advanced digital financial services ecosystems.
The company says the acquisition aligns with its long-term strategy of expanding digital and financial inclusion across Africa.
The court clearance, granted shortly before the transaction closed, removed the final regulatory hurdle to a deal that reshapes how one of sub-Saharan Africa’s most strategically important telecoms assets is governed and controlled.
The Kenyan government’s retained 20 percent stake means the state remains a significant — if no longer dominant — shareholder, preserving some degree of public interest oversight in a company whose infrastructure and mobile money rails underpin large portions of Kenya’s economy.
Further details on the transaction value and the precise timeline of completion were not disclosed in available reports at the time of publication.
