Parliament will begin stakeholder hearings on the government’s plan to partially divest its shareholding in Safaricom PLC, a move closely watched by Kenyans, investors and the capital markets.
- •The hearings, to be conducted jointly by the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning and the Select Committee on Public Debt and Privatisation, will run from January 13 to January 21, 2026.
- •The process follows a communication by Speaker Moses Wetang’ula on the joint consideration of Sessional Paper No. 3 of 2025, which proposes reducing the State’s stake in the listed telecoms firm.
- •According to earlier disclosures, the government is considering selling up to 20%of its Safaricom stake in a transaction estimated to raise about Sh244.5 billion, making it one of the largest potential equity sell-downs in the local market.
Market players are expected to weigh in on the potential impact of the sale on Safaricom’s share price, liquidity at the Nairobi Securities Exchange and the government’s broader debt-reduction strategy.
For the Government of Kenya, the combined KSh 244.5B inflow from the sale and dividend‑rights transfer delivers substantial fiscal resources without increasing public debt. The government plans to allocate the proceeds toward infrastructure projects across energy, transport, water and aviation.
Safaricom is the NSE’s most valuable stock and a key revenue earner for the State through dividends, raising questions about the trade-off between immediate cash inflows and long-term income.
Government to Net KSh 244.5Bn from 20% Safaricom Stake Sale
