1. The Headlines: KES 0.85 and the “Magic Number”
For the first time in its history, Safaricom has declared an interim dividend of KES 0.85 per share. To put this in perspective, that is a massive 54.5% jump from the KES 0.55 paid out just a year ago.
The total distribution of KES 34.1 billion represents one of the single largest cash injections into the Kenyan economy by a private entity. For the 40 billion shares outstanding, this payout serves as a “thank you” note to investors who stayed the course during the volatile years of the Ethiopia expansion.
Important Dates for Shareholders
Announcement Date: February 5, 2026
Book Closure (Eligibility) Date: February 25, 2026
Ex-Dividend Date: February 26, 2026
Payment Date: On or about March 31, 2026
2. The Engine Room: Why the 52% Profit Jump?
You don’t pay out KES 34 billion unless the vault is overflowing. The dividend is backed by stellar results for the half-year (H1) ended September 30, 2025:
Group Net Profit: Surged 52.1% to reach KES 42.78 billion.
M-PESA Dominance: Revenue from mobile money hit KES 88.1 billion (+14% YoY). With 21.8 billion transactions processed, M-PESA now accounts for nearly 45% of total service revenue.
The “Data Flip”: In a historic milestone, mobile data revenue (KES 44.47B) officially overtook voice revenue (KES 41.09B). Safaricom is no longer a phone company; it is a data-fintech hybrid.
3. The Ethiopia Factor: Narrowing the Gap
While Safaricom Kenya is the “cash cow” funding this dividend, the Ethiopia unit is no longer the “anchor” dragging it down.
Losses Narrows: Ethiopia’s service revenue tripled as active users hit 11.2 million.
Currency Stability: Despite a 16.9% depreciation of the Birr, the operation is scaling rapidly toward its goal of breaking even by FY 2027.
Self-Sustaining Kenya: The Board was comfortable with the high payout because the Kenyan unit generated enough free cash flow to cover both the dividend and the capital intensive rollout in Addis Ababa.
4. Market Reaction: Crossing the $10 Billion Mark
The NSE responded with a “buy” frenzy. Safaricom’s share price (SCOM) jumped 4.4% following the announcement, touching an intraday high of KES 32.50.
This rally briefly pushed Safaricom’s market capitalization past US$ 10.09 billion (KES 1.28 trillion). It remains the only company in East and Central Africa to ever hit the “decacorn” valuation status twice—once in 2021 and again in this 2026 resurgence.
