Safaricom reported that 118 employees were dismissed for fraud‑related offences in the financial year that ended in March 2026, up from 113 the previous year.

The company also referred 14 fraud cases to law‑enforcement agencies during FY2026, double the seven cases reported in FY2025.

Fraud remained the most frequently reported issue through Safaricom’s independently managed, anonymous ethics hotline, reflecting heightened risk as its digital financial services expanded.

In addition to the dismissals, three disciplinary warnings were issued in FY2026, whereas none were recorded in the prior year, indicating a broader range of disciplinary outcomes.

The company’s internal fraud management system flags cases from customer complaints or routine annual reviews, after which a manager or the Ethics and Compliance team conducts an investigation.

Investigation records are stored in password‑protected files accessible only to the Ethics and Compliance team, and final documentation is passed to Human Resources for a disciplinary committee to apply Safaricom’s policy.

Grounds for dismissal listed in the policy include theft, falsification of records, unauthorised access to customer call data, security breaches and commission of a criminal offence.

Safaricom linked the rising fraud challenge to the growth of its digital financial services, especially the M‑PESA platform, and revised its anti‑money‑laundering and counter‑terrorism financing policy in FY2026.

Training on ethics reached 98% of employees in FY2026, and compliance guidance was extended to 141 suppliers, 339 dealers and 972 M‑PESA agents, with awareness broadcasts to agents increasing from 11 to 37.