Safaricom PLCÂ has declared its highest-ever dividend payout of KES 80.13 billion, after shareholders at the company’s Annual General Meeting today approved a final dividend of KES 1.15 per share for the financial year ended 31 March 2026.
The total dividend for the year comes to KES 2.00 per share, following an interim dividend of KES 0.85 per share paid in March 2026, and is the largest payout in the company’s history.
The payout comes as Safaricom’s share price continued to rise: the stock closed the financial year up 50.3%, taking the company’s market value to KES 1.10 trillion by 31 March 2026, and it has risen further since, with Safaricom’s market capitalisation touching KES 1.44 trillion in the weeks leading into this year’s AGM.
“This has been a defining year for us. We marked 25 years of connecting and driving transformation through our services and community involvement. We did this while delivering our strongest financial performance yet,” said Dr Peter Ndegwa, Group CEO, Safaricom PLC.
Ethiopia Investment Delivers Results
For three years running, Safaricom held its dividend steady as it absorbed the set-up costs in Ethiopia and weathered the effects of the Birr’s depreciation following the foreign exchange reforms introduced by the Ethiopian government in 2024.
This year’s increase reflects a business that has come through that period of investment, with Safaricom Ethiopia now on track to break even in the coming financial year.
The final dividend will be payable on or about 4 September 2026 to shareholders on the Register of Members as at the close of business on 4 August 2026.
Including this year’s payout, Safaricom shareholders will have received approximately KES 280 billion in cumulative dividends over the past five years, a trajectory the company hopes to continue as it executes its Vision 2030.
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Vision 2030 Growth Strategy
In the first year of Vision 2030, Safaricom is positioning itself to grow beyond a traditional telecom operator into a broader technology company.
Its priorities include making customer experience simpler and more personal, while using artificial intelligence to enhance service delivery.
The company also plans to expand high-speed broadband and 4G and 5G coverage, increase access to affordable smartphones, and continue growing M-PESA alongside its broader financial services offering.
Vodacom Partnership and Shareholding Changes
Speaking during the AGM, Safaricom PLC Chairman Adil Khawaja said the increase in Vodacom Group’s shareholding strengthens the companies’ long-standing partnership and supports Safaricom’s Vision 2030 ambitions.
“We were equally pleased to note the completion of the transaction increasing Vodacom Group’s shareholding in Safaricom this year. It deepens a partnership that goes back to our earliest years, and gives us access to the scale, expertise and regional reach of one of Africa’s leading technology groups as we build towards 2030,” said Adil Khawaja, Chairman of the Board, Safaricom PLC.
The shareholding changes followed Vodacom Group’s acquisition of an additional 15% stake, through Vodafone Kenya Limited, from the Government of Kenya alongside an internal restructuring.
Vodacom’s shareholding now stands at 55%, with the Government of Kenya retaining 20% and the investing public holding the remaining 25%.
Board and Auditor ReappointmentsÂ
Meanwhile, shareholders also re-elected Edward Okaro to the Board, re-appointed Ernst & Young as the company’s external auditors, and approved several special resolutions to give legal effect to the new shareholding structure.
