The Communications Authority of Kenya reports Safaricom’s share of total mobile subscriptions increased from 68.9% in the quarter ended March to 69.8% in the quarter ended June.

During the same period the overall mobile SIM base grew from 84.1 million to 88 million, a 4.6% rise attributed to operator win‑back campaigns and continued service expansion.

Safaricom’s mobile broadband share edged down marginally from 64.5% to 64.4%, even as mobile‑broadband subscriptions rose from 52.9 million to 54.9 million.

Mobile‑money subscriptions grew 1.2% to 54 million, yet Safaricom’s share of that market slipped from 89.1% to 88.8%, reflecting the larger subscriber pool rather than a loss of customers.

Domestic voice traffic rose to 33 billion minutes, with Safaricom’s share increasing from about 21 billion to 21.4 billion minutes.

Understanding the share shifts

Multiple SIM ownership is common in Kenya, so the rise in Safaricom’s subscription share occurs within a market where the total number of SIMs, not unique users, expanded.

Mobile‑money remains highly concentrated, with M‑Pesa still accounting for nearly nine‑tenths of all mobile‑money subscriptions despite the modest share dip.

Competition in mobile money continues, as Airtel builds its position while Safaricom retains a large advantage through the scale of the M‑Pesa ecosystem and its agent network.