Safaricom, the so-called giant in Kenya’s telecommunications industry, has once again been exposed for what it truly is a company that cares more about profit and power than the people it claims to serve.
The latest outrage comes from Hanifa Farsafi, a vocal activist who recently called out the company for betraying its own customers.
According to her, Safaricom handed over users’ personal details to the government, helping them track down citizens in ways that clearly breach trust and privacy. She made it clear, “Safaricom remains an enemy always for having given our details to the government to hunt us down.” That is not just a statement it’s a loud warning about what this company has been allowed to get away with for far too long.
This isn’t the first time Kenyans have accused Safaricom of shady practices, but this time the evidence is harder to ignore. When someone like Hanifa, with a strong voice online, speaks out and even gets a refund just because of her influence, it raises a serious question, how many ordinary Kenyans suffer in silence simply because they have no clout to fight back?
Safaricom appears to operate on a double standard, those with a platform get justice, while the rest are ignored, overcharged, and exposed to danger without consent.
Kenyans have long complained about being charged for services they never signed up for, sudden data disappearance, and airtime vanishing without explanation. Now we are told that our private data might be handed over to the same systems that silence dissent and violate rights.
How is that acceptable? It is one thing to make profit through overpriced bundles and poor customer service, but it is another level of betrayal to act as a spy for the state.
There’s no transparency in how Safaricom handles user information, and their public statements often sound like empty PR talk. When confronted, they talk about legal requirements and court orders, but never give details.
Who decides what information is shared? How often is it shared? Who audits them? Nobody knows, and that’s exactly how they want it. In a country where surveillance and repression are real threats, allowing a private company to freely cooperate with state machinery without checks is reckless and dangerous.
Safaricom must be held accountable. Their monopoly has made them arrogant, and their actions suggest they are more loyal to the powerful than to the people. This is not just about network coverage and mobile money anymore. This is about basic rights, freedom, and the safety of citizens. If they can give out your data today without you knowing, what else can they do tomorrow? The silence must end. The lies must stop. Kenyans deserve better.
