Kenya’s mobile money subscriptions reached 54.0 million by June 2026, growing 13.2 per cent year-on-year and pushing mobile money penetration to 101.3 per cent, according to the Communications Authority of Kenya’s (CA) fourth quarter sector statistics report for the 2025/26 financial year.
The growth was slower than in previous quarters, with subscriptions up just 1.2 per cent quarter-on-quarter. The number of registered mobile money agents also fell 5.6 per cent over the same period, from 602,470 to 568,463, even as the underlying subscriber base kept expanding.
Within that market, Airtel Money recorded a notable gain in share, rising from 10.9 per cent in the third quarter of the financial year to 11.1 per cent in the fourth. The telco attributed the growth to continued efforts to expand access, convenience and the range of ways customers can use the service.
Airtel has broadened its mobile money ecosystem through partnerships with financial institutions including Absa Bank and KCB, making it easier for customers to transact as part of their everyday financial lives. These include Paybill and merchant payments, bank-to-wallet and wallet-to-bank transfers, and cross-network transactions, giving customers greater flexibility to move money across platforms.
Affordability has also been central to the telco’s strategy, particularly for customers in remote and commercially underserved areas. Sending money between Airtel Money subscribers is currently free of charge, while transfers to other service providers are offered at a lower cost.
Airtel Money has also invested in strengthening its digital experience and security, including revamping the My Airtel App to support seamless transactions across networks.
The gains come against a backdrop of continued expansion across Kenya’s broader ICT sector. Mobile SIM subscriptions grew 4.6 per cent quarter-on-quarter to 88.0 million, mobile data subscriptions rose 2.6 per cent to 64.3 million, mobile broadband subscriptions grew 3.9 per cent to 54.9 million, and smartphone uptake increased 4.2 per cent to 52.3 million.
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