EDITORIAL: What government can learn from Safaricom

Kenya’s state agencies have much to learn from the discipline, innovation and execution culture demonstrated by Safaricom.

The company’s latest results, with service revenue rising by 10 per cent to cross the Sh400 billion mark, underline how efficiency and strategic focus can transform an institution.

At a time when many public entities continue to grapple with inefficiency, wastage and declining public trust, Safaricom is expanding revenues, improving profitability and tightening operations across its markets. Even in its Ethiopian unit, losses have been cut by half, showing that structured management and accountability can turn around difficult environments.

The strongest growth driver remains M-Pesa, which contributed 59.2 per cent of total growth, expanded its revenue mix to 45.6 per cent and grew by 13.4 per cent year on year. This is not accidental success but the product of sustained investment in innovation, customer-centric design and disciplined execution.

The connectivity business, still the largest revenue contributor, grew by 6.9 per cent, supported by strong mobile data growth of 14.4 per cent. Fixed revenue also rose by 12.2 per cent, driven by expansion in the consumer segment. These gains reflect a clear focus on value creation rather than administrative inertia.

State agencies must confront an uncomfortable reality: underperformance is often not caused by lack of resources, but by weak systems, poor accountability and, in some cases, entrenched inefficiency. Too many public institutions are trapped in bloated structures and rent-seeking behaviour that erodes public value.

Safaricom demonstrates that growth is possible when systems work, performance is measured and leadership is accountable. Public institutions should stop normalising failure and instead adopt models of operational discipline.

If Kenya’s public sector embraced even a fraction of this efficiency, service delivery would improve, leakages would reduce and public trust would begin to recover.

“I have learned to seek my happiness by limiting my desires, rather than in attempting to satisfy them.”

John Stuart Mill

The English philosopher, political economist, politician and civil servant died on May 8, 1873