Safaricom has announced a significant increase in the number of smartphones connected to its network, rising from 22.93 million to 27.37 million.
The company revealed these figures during the release of its 2025 Sustainable Business Report on Tuesday, reflecting the telco’s ongoing efforts to expand digital access and bridge connectivity gaps.
This growth was largely driven by initiatives such as Lipa Mdogo Mdogo, which enables Kenyans to acquire smartphones through flexible payment plans. The device financing program achieved a major milestone this year by selling over 2 million 4G smartphones since its inception in 2020.
According to Safaricom, the device financing program has been instrumental in bridging Kenya’s digital divide by enabling low-income customers to access smartphones through affordable daily installments.
“Lipa Mdogo Mdogo will help the mwananchi who earn their wages daily acquire a range of smartphones and pay in easy daily instalments for as low as Ksh 20, while enjoying all the benefits that come with being digitally connected,” said Peter Ndegwa, Safaricom CEO, during the launch of the program.
Safaricom introduced the device financing program to spur 4G uptake in the country by upgrading customers from 2G feature phones to affordable 4G smartphones.
Since then, the telco has partnered with manufacturers such as Transsion, Samsung, and Nokia to expand the range of smartphones available under the program.
Lipa Mdogo Mdogo is delivered in partnership with Android, Google’s operating system for internet-enabled devices. All smartphones on offer come preloaded with a suite of Google apps, including Search, Maps, Gmail, and YouTube.
In its 2025 Sustainable Business Report, themed “Anchored on Purpose, Accelerating a Digital Future,” Safaricom also reported a True Value of USD 8.46 billion (KSh 1.1 trillion). The report further shows that the company contributed approximately USD 6.22 billion (KSh 809 billion) to Kenya’s GDP through its operations.
The company attributed this increase in True Value earnings to the enhanced value created for customers, agents, and merchants through its mobile money service, M-PESA, as well as increased investments in corporate social initiatives and growth in Safaricom’s CAPEX and OPEX economic impact during the financial year.
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