Safaricom dismissed 118 employees over fraud-related offences in the financial year ended March 2026, intensifying its internal crackdown as the telecommunications company strengthens controls across its expanding digital financial services business. The dismissals increased from 113 recorded in the previous financial year, according to the company’s 2026 Sustainable Business Report.
The report also shows that Safaricom referred 14 fraud cases to law enforcement agencies during the year, double the seven cases referred in the 2025 financial year. Fraud remained the most frequently reported concern through the company’s independently managed ethics hotline, highlighting the continuing risks associated with employee misconduct.
In addition to the dismissals, Safaricom issued three disciplinary warnings during the year, compared with none in the previous financial period. The figures reflect the range of disciplinary measures applied as the company investigates reported breaches of its policies and procedures.
Safaricom’s investigation process begins when concerns emerge through customer complaints or its internal fraud management system, which reviews key business processes. Cases are examined by managers or the Ethics and Compliance team, which determines whether they require informal resolution or formal disciplinary proceedings.
Investigation records are kept in password-protected files accessible to authorised members of the Ethics and Compliance team. Once an investigation is completed, the documentation is handed to Human Resources, while a disciplinary committee determines the appropriate outcome under the company’s disciplinary policy.
The company identifies several offences that can result in dismissal, including theft, falsification of records, unauthorised access to customer call data, security breaches and criminal offences. Such misconduct can expose the business to financial losses, regulatory scrutiny and reputational damage, particularly where customer information or mobile money transactions are involved.
The crackdown comes as Safaricom continues expanding its digital financial services, particularly M-PESA, which plays a central role in Kenya’s mobile money ecosystem. The company has acknowledged that the growth and increasing complexity of these services require stronger anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism controls.
Safaricom also reported wider compliance efforts beyond its workforce. During the 2026 financial year, 98 per cent of employees participated in its annual ethics awareness programme, matching the previous year’s participation rate. Training also reached 141 suppliers, 339 dealers and 972 M-PESA agents, according to the report.
The increased number of dismissals and referrals signals a stronger response to suspected internal fraud, although the figures alone do not establish that every dismissed employee was convicted of a criminal offence. Employment discipline and criminal prosecution are separate processes.
For Safaricom, maintaining trust will depend on preventing misconduct, protecting customer information and ensuring that reported cases are investigated fairly. As mobile money and digital services expand, effective internal controls will remain critical to protecting customers and sustaining confidence in the company’s platforms.
