Fred Matiang’i: Government will not cut Safaricom to size.

Fred Matiang'i

The ICT cabinet secretary, Fred Matiang’i, has said that the government will not cut Safaricom to size. In an interview with Business Daily, he was asked what the government was doing to ensure that ‘not just one player is making profits in the industry’ a jibe which was aimed at Safaricom.

He replied that the government would only act as a facilitator, leveling the playing field and solving any industry disputes that may arise, and would not seek to cut some players to size. With about 65 percent market share, Safaricom made over 20 billion shillings in profits before tax in the last financial year. Its competitors, Airtel, Orange, and Yu, despite eating into Safaricom’s market share, have either posted minimal profits, or losses.

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