Regional competition authorities have opened formal inquiries into a proposed transaction that would hand South Africa’s Vodacom Group control of Safaricom PLC, Kenya’s most profitable company and a dominant player in telecommunications and mobile money.
- •The East African Community Competition Authority (EACCA) and the COMESA Competition and Consumer Commission (CCCC) said they are assessing whether the deal could substantially lessen competition or raise public interest concerns across the region.
- •The transaction involves the acquisition of a 15%stake in Safaricom by Vodafone Kenya Limited, a Vodacom subsidiary, alongside an internal restructuring of Vodafone International Holdings B.V.’s shareholding.
- •The reviews will determine whether the change could entrench market dominance, particularly in mobile money and digital services, or undermine competition within the East African Community and the wider COMESA market.
Once completed, Vodacom’s total interest in Safaricom will rise from 40% to about 55%, giving it effective control. The Government of Kenya, which is selling the 15% stake, will retain a 19.99% shareholding after the transaction.
Safaricom, listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), operates in Kenya and Ethiopia and plays a central role in mobile telecommunications, broadband and mobile financial services, including the widely used M-Pesa platform.
While the parties argue the deal raises no competition concerns and describe it as a strategic consolidation, authorities have invited competitors, suppliers and customers to submit views, signalling close scrutiny of the shift in control at Safaricom.
Submissions close on February 13, 2026 for COMESA and February 16, 2026 for the EAC.
