Edition 35, August 2024

Welcome to the August edition of the Safaricom Newsroom Newsletter!

This edition brings you in-depth innovation stories that will take you behind the scenes of some of the pioneering financial services, such as M-PESA. It also features some sporting action that highlights Kenya’s beloved athlete and two-time world record holder, Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon, who has scaled the heights of a stellar career.

Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart, just ask Martin Nicodemus. His journey into self-employment has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride of highs and lows, but it has also brought him tremendous joy and satisfaction. Martin hopes to one day expand his business of shaping leather into artisanal creations. In the meantime, his company, Martin’s Leather and Cottage Industry, continues to make a range of products, from formal men’s shoes to stylish sandals.

This edition also covers the story of another young man, Mario TJ Cassella, or Trio Mio, as he is popularly known. The Cheza Kama Wewe hitmaker became a hit sensation during the COVID-19 lockdown period when he was just a teenager. But beyond his lyrical genius, his mother, who also doubles up as his manager, has played a big role in managing his affairs and propelling him to become one of the biggest names in rap of his generation.

We have come a long way from surfing the web at speeds of 384 kilobytes per second to streaming videos in the blink of an eye using 5G. Currently, there are about 740,000 5G devices on Safaricom’s network using up to 80 terabytes of data daily, and the company has ambitious plans to expand 5G coverage nationwide.

Read on about how M-PESA has changed its customers’ lives for the past 17 years, and polish up your Swahili with a sports article from World Kiswahili Day. Enjoy.

Check out the stories below for more.

...TOP STORY...

From humble beginnings to crafting dreams

In a quiet workshop nestled in the heart of Kabarak University, Martin Nicodemus, an alumnus of M-PESA Foundation Academy, meticulously shapes leather into artisanal creations. His journey from a curious student to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Martin’s Leather and Cottage Industry is not just a story of entrepreneurship but a testament to resilience and passion.

Here’s His Story

My son is my boss

As a little boy, Mario TJ Cassella, better known as Trio Mio, was always mischievous. He was always touching things he shouldn’t and going to forbidden places – like the pulpit in church, his mother, Irma Sofia bore it all. Besides his studies, Trio loved music and rapped every chance he would get in the house. His mom picked up that he had a seed in him but never worked on it as he was young and still in school.

Trio, now a recognisable Kenyan artist, has grown in stature and wisdom, his mum is his boss.

In 2020, he released the very catchy “Cheza Kama Wewe,”. Fast forward, his collaboration with Safaricom for their seminal?Chapa Dimba?was a welcome partnership. Cheza Kama Wewe became the signature phrase for this partnership as he got the brand ambassador role for the program.

Here’s Their Story

Safaricom’s journey of innovation and expansion across Africa

A Greek philosopher once said, “There is nothing permanent except change.” Even though the quote was said 2500 years ago, it remains relevant today and has driven progress across many organisations. Since its inception, Safaricom has adopted this philosophy, starting by offering just calls and SMS to becoming the first mobile operator to roll out mobile data.

The telco’s innovation framework has allowed it to make products such as the My County app, Hustler Fund, and a chatbot named Zuri, among others, that have helped make their customers’ lives easier while also building the company’s profitability.

Recently, Safaricom hosted delegates attending the Made in Africa Leaders Conference (MLC) at its Innovation Centre. The visit showcased Safaricom’s various solutions, service offerings, and innovation framework, providing insights into their technological advancements and innovations.

Here’s The Story

M-PESA: 17 years of transforming lives

“Uko na paybill ama till?” (Do you have an M-PESA paybill or till number?) This is an everyday question among most Kenyans, owing to how much M-PESA has become embedded in their day-to-day lives.

The idea of developing the mobile money product can be traced back to 2003; a promising approach to sustainable development. The proposal by Nick Hughes, then the head of social enterprise at Vodafone, was to use mobile phones to deliver financial services. On March 2007, the platform was launch boasting of 19,671 active users in its first month.

For almost two decades, M-PESA has played a life-changing role in its customers’ lives by providing a convenient and accessible mobile money platform for users, including those in remote and underserved areas. Listen to Esther Waititu on the podcast below, as she takes us through M-PESA’s 17-year journey.

Here’s The Story

Crowning Faith

Perhaps nobody noticed the 14-year-old girl in school uniform that day in 2008 when Nancy Jebet Langat was received by her neighbours, relatives and friends for a celebration.

Nancy had just won gold in the 1500 metres race at the Bird’s Nest stadium in Beijing at the Olympics. When she came home, she was surrounded by the stars that had been in Team Kenya at the Olympics that year.

The girl in the school uniform was Faith Kipyegon. She was in a group from her primary school in Keringet, Nakuru. The rest as they say is history.

Faith Kipyegon has scaled the heights of a stellar career, from running barefoot to breaking two world records in 2023 and one more in 2024. She is one of Kenya’s most accomplished athletes and a mother and wife, inspired by her mentors and a drive to succeed.

Here’s Her Story

Balozi Pharence: Mtangazaji wa mpira wa Chapa Dimba kwa miaka minne mfululizo

Katika kusherehekea Siku ya Kiswahili, tunaangazia Balozi Pharence Oluoch Nduko, mtangazaji wa mpira wa miguu, maisha yake yamebadilishwa na mashindano ya Chapa Dimba na Safaricom. Mashindano ambayo imefanyika kwa misimu ya nne sasa. Chapa Dimba inawapa vijana fursa ya kuonyesha vipaji vyao na kujenga maisha yao kupitia michezo.

Alianza kama shabiki wa mpira wa miguu na ripota wa mchezo wa mpira mashinani Radio Citizen baadaye alipata nafasi ya kuwa mtangazaji wa Chapa Dimba.

Matumizi ya Kiswahili katika Chapa Dimba yameimarisha hisia za jamii na utambulisho miongoni mwa washiriki na mashabiki. Mwaka huu, maudhui ya Siku ya Kiswahili ni “Elimu ya Kiswahili na Utamaduni wa Amani.” Umuhimu wa elimu katika kuendeleza lugha ya Kiswahili ni kudumisha utamaduni na itawezesha jamii kujivunia na kuienzi lugha yao.

Here’s His Story

Explained: The evolution from Edge to 5G

From his experience, George Njuguna has joined a growing number of people across the world who view access to the internet in a new and different way.

In this digital age, said George, people consider data as a basic need, like water. We have certainly come a long way.

This is because, until 2005, only ISPs could offer internet services in the country. The situation changed after the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK), now known as the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), issued a new licensing framework in late 2004 after Telkom Kenya’s monopoly ended in June 2004. This now paved the way for mobile telecommunications companies to offer mobile internet services in the form of GPRS and EDGE connections. Safaricom launched mobile internet (Edge) in 2004, which gave access to the web for Kenyans at 384 kilobytes per second (384Kbps).

In this story you’ll get to learn about the evolution from Edge to 5G.

Here’s The Story