Safaricom shareholders are set for a record payout after the company announced a 66.7 per cent jump in dividends following a strong financial year that saw net income hit KSh100 billion.
The telco declared a total dividend payout of KSh80.1 billion for the financial year ended March 2026, translating to KSh2 per share. The payout includes an interim dividend of 85 cents per share and a proposed final dividend of KSh1.15 per share, subject to shareholder approval.
The improved returns came as Safaricom posted Group revenue of KSh414.1 billion, driven by growth in mobile data, M-PESA and the expanding Ethiopia business.
Speaking during the FY2025/26 investor briefing in Nairobi, Peter Ndegwa said the company had exceeded expectations in the first year of its five-year Vision 2030 strategy.
“We delivered strong performance, with acceleration in the second half, surpassing Group guidance with outstanding Kenya performance offsetting the impact of currency reforms and the timing of market repair actions in Ethiopia,” said Ndegwa.
Read: Safaricom Profit Hits Record Sh100 Billion as Ethiopia Business Gains Momentum
Safaricom Kenya service revenue grew 10 per cent to KSh400.8 billion, while Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) rose 15.3 per cent to KSh182.3 billion.
The company’s total customer base across Kenya and Ethiopia grew to 71.6 million users, highlighting rising demand for digital connectivity and financial services.
Mobile data revenue increased by 18.3 per cent to KSh92.9 billion as more customers adopted 4G-enabled devices and consumed more internet services.
M-PESA remained a key growth driver, with revenue rising 13.4 per cent to KSh182.7 billion and active customers in Kenya reaching 41 million.
Meanwhile, Safaricom Ethiopia continued to show rapid growth momentum, with subscriber numbers increasing to 13.6 million customers as the network expanded to cover 60 per cent of the population through 3,504 operational sites.
Adil Khawaja said the company was beginning to see the benefits of scale in Ethiopia while maintaining profitability across the Group.
“We are beginning to see the benefits of scale in Ethiopia, with improving commercial momentum and narrowing start-up costs,” he said.
Safaricom also noted that over 4.4 million lives were impacted through programmes run under the Safaricom and M-PESA Foundations during the year under review.
Dilip Pal said the company would continue investing in network infrastructure and IT systems to support future growth and improve customer experience.
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