Data sovereignty fears rise as Vodacom eyes 55pc Safaricom stake
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 12 -Â The National Treasury has formally moved to divest a 15 percent equity stake in Safaricom PLC to the Vodacom Group, a transaction Kenya breaking news | Kenya news today |..
✨ Key Highlights
The National Treasury is moving to sell a 15 percent equity stake in Safaricom PLC to the Vodacom Group for approximately Sh244.5 billion ($1.6 billion), potentially restructuring the ownership of East Africa’s most profitable firm and raising significant data sovereignty concerns.
- If approved, the transaction would reduce the Government of Kenya’s shareholding to a minority 20 percent, while the Vodacom/Vodafone consortium would consolidate a controlling 55 percent majority.
- Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi defended the sale as a “premium exit,” though security analysts and legislators fear a regulatory “grey zone” could arise regarding the personal data of 30 million Kenyans.
- The Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning is questioning the sufficiency of the government’s retained “golden share” veto rights to protect national interests, amidst warnings that majority foreign ownership could allow offshore processing of sensitive Kenyan data.
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Govt Moves to Sell Safaricom Stake; Startups Funded; Uchumi House Listed for Sale - January 2026
The National Treasury is moving to sell a 15 percent equity stake in Safaricom PLC to the Vodacom Group for approximately Sh244.5 billion ($1.6 billion), a move that raises data sovereignty concerns. In a separate government initiative, Sh173.2 million has been disbursed to 6,982 startups in Central Kenya as part of the Nyota Project to address youth unemployment. In Nairobi’s Central Business District, the five-storey Uchumi House has been listed for sale with an asking price of Sh562.5 million, offering immediate rental income from its established tenants. Additionally, the High Court in Kenya has permitted the regulatory approval processes for the Diageo–Asahi transaction to proceed, though it issued a temporary order restraining the final stages of the deal.
