By Jeff Kizzilah Digital Editor
Safaricom Gains 5.5 Million Subscribers as Kenya’s Mobile Market Reaches Record 84.1 Million Users
Nairobi, Kenya – Kenya’s telecommunications sector recorded remarkable growth during the third quarter of the 2025/2026 financial year, with active mobile subscriptions rising to 84.1 million, according to the latest sector statistics released by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA).
The report shows that mobile subscriptions grew by 7.4 percent compared to the previous quarter, pushing mobile penetration to an impressive 157.7 percent, reflecting the increasing reliance on mobile connectivity for economic and social activities across the country.
Safaricom further cemented its dominance in the sector after adding approximately 5.5 million new subscribers during the January–March 2026 period. The operator’s subscriber base rose from 52.4 million to 57.9 million, giving it a commanding market share of 68.9 percent and placing it on course to surpass the 60-million-subscriber mark.
Airtel Kenya maintained its position as the second-largest mobile operator with 23.2 million subscribers and a market share of 27.6 percent. Equitel (Finserve) recorded a slight increase to 1.51 million subscribers, accounting for 1.8 percent of the market, while Jamii Telecommunications (Faiba) reached 883,944 subscribers, representing 1.1 percent of the market.
Telkom Kenya, however, experienced a significant setback during the quarter, losing 160,464 subscribers to close the period with 584,438 subscribers and a market share of just 0.7 percent.
According to the Communications Authority, the strong growth was driven by aggressive customer win-back campaigns by mobile operators, declining smartphone prices, expansion of high-speed network infrastructure, and growing demand for digital services. Smartphones now account for 63.7 percent of all mobile devices connected to Kenyan networks, highlighting the country’s ongoing digital transformation.
The report further reveals that Kenya had 62.6 million mobile broadband internet subscriptions as of March 31, 2026. Safaricom remained the market leader in mobile broadband with a 62.7 percent market share.
In the fixed internet segment, Safaricom also led the market with a 35.4 percent share, followed by Jamii Telecommunications at 19.5 percent, Wananchi Group at 10.4 percent, and Poa Internet Kenya at 9.7 percent. Other providers including Ahadi Wireless, Vilcom Network, Mawingu Networks, and Starlink continued serving specialized segments of the market.
Mobile money services also recorded strong growth, with active subscriptions reaching 53.4 million. Safaricom maintained a dominant position through M-Pesa, controlling 89.1 percent of the market.
The report additionally shows Safaricom accounting for 64.96 percent of domestic voice traffic and an overwhelming 93.96 percent of SMS traffic, underlining its continued influence across Kenya’s telecommunications landscape.
The latest figures highlight Kenya’s growing digital economy and reinforce the country’s position as one of Africa’s most advanced mobile connectivity markets.
