Safaricom’s 2026 Sustainable Business Report records a fibre footprint of 21,000 kilometres, up from 18,300 km the previous year, and 1,879 5G sites, an increase from 1,700 sites.

The company’s 4G network now reaches 97.9 % of Kenya’s population, providing broad everyday access while 5G adds capacity for high‑speed, low‑latency applications where coverage, devices and services align.

During FY2026 Safaricom reported that 807,016 homes were passed by fibre, though subscription rates remain lower, highlighting the gap between physical reach and affordable connections.

To improve indoor and rural coverage, the operator deployed LTE on the 700 MHz spectrum across roughly 62 % of its network sites, extending service to underserved areas.

Upgrades to batteries and transmission systems helped cut major network incidents by 25 %, though the report notes that power disruptions continue to pose a risk.

Customer experience metrics show mixed results: the national data‑speed score rose from 62 to 67, while perception of data coverage fell from 70 to 66, prompting Safaricom to flag coverage as an area for further investment.

Affordability remains a barrier; a pilot tokenised Wi‑Fi scheme in Kibera and Kawangware offered an hour of broadband for KSh 10, illustrating efforts to make connectivity financially accessible.

Safaricom’s ambition to become Africa’s leading purpose‑led technology company by 2030 hinges on leveraging its expanded fibre and 5G assets to support financial services, cloud platforms and future AI applications.