NAIROBI, Kenya — Safaricom has cemented its position as the dominant player in Kenya’s mobile telecommunications industry, commanding a 63.3 percent market share in SIM card subscriptions, according to the latest Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) data.
The CA’s Third Quarter Sector Statistics Report for the Financial Year 2024/2025 (covering January to March 2025) shows that Safaricom added 1.7 million new mobile subscriptions, pushing its total to 48.2 million, up from 46.5 million in the previous quarter.
The national total of active SIM subscriptions rose by 6.7 percent to 76.2 million, resulting in a mobile penetration rate of 145.3 percent.
“The quarter was marked by a general increase in active mobile subscriptions, mobile money subscriptions, mobile data usage, and broadband subscriptions,” CA stated.
Safaricom saw a 4.77% increase in domestic mobile voice and SMS traffic in the same period, reaching 18.3 billion units. Its fixed data subscriptions also rose by 9.17% to 678,118 connections, highlighting the company’s steady home and enterprise internet segment growth.
Meanwhile, satellite internet provider Starlink registered a decline, with its market share falling to 0.9%, indicating a sluggish uptake in the Kenyan market.
Nationally, mobile phone penetration stood at 139.8%, with smartphones accounting for 80.5% and feature phones at 59.3%.
Safaricom’s affordable device financing program played a key role in increasing smartphone access nationwide.
The report underscores Kenya’s steady ICT sector growth, fueled by wider device availability and expanded mobile network infrastructure, positioning the country as a regional leader in digital connectivity.
