Billing Transparency Emerges as Key Weak Spot for Market Leader Safaricom

A new consumer survey by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) suggests that billing clarity, rather than network size or coverage, is becoming a key pressure point for Safaricom as competition in the mobile market sharpens. According to the survey, nearly one in four Safaricom subscribers do not fully trust what they are charged for mobile data and text services.

While a majority still express confidence, only 77 per cent of Safaricom customers said they believe data charges are accurate, and 77.7 per cent said the same for text messages. The findings place billing transparency at the centre of customer perception just as mobile data becomes the company’s largest revenue driver.

The results show a clear contrast with smaller rivals. Jamii Telecommunications ranked highest on perceived data billing accuracy at 98.4 per cent, followed closely by Airtel at 98.3 per cent. Safaricom also ranked lowest on perceived call billing accuracy, with 80.2 per cent of users saying calls are billed correctly, compared with 97.6 per cent for Airtel, 96.7 per cent for Jamii and 94 per cent for Telkom.

Beyond pricing accuracy, the survey highlights a communication gap. Only 18 per cent of Safaricom subscribers said they receive monthly billing information, far below Airtel’s 44.1 per cent and Jamii’s 35 per cent. The survey was conducted by Strategic Synergy Consultants between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025, covering more than 4,200 respondents.

The timing is significant for Safaricom’s business model. In the half-year to September 2025, mobile data revenue rose 18 per cent to Sh44.4 billion, overtaking voice revenue, which stood at Sh41.09 billion. As Kenyan consumers shift toward data-heavy services such as streaming, online learning and remote work, trust in billing accuracy is becoming a competitive differentiator rather than a secondary issue.

While Safaricom retains a large base of customers who trust its charges, the survey suggests that improving transparency and routine billing communication could be critical to defending its dominance as rivals close the perception gap.