Safaricom Plc on March 31, 2026 opened its three-day Safaricom Engineering Summit—Decode 4.0—in Nairobi, positioning the event as a convening platform for developers, innovators and technology firms as Kenya pushes for broader digital growth.

The summit is being held in partnership with Microsoft, Google, Dell Technologies and Huawei, according to a statement issued by Safaricom. The company said the event is themed Made for Kenya and is designed to bring together local and global technology stakeholders to discuss and build solutions linked to Kenya’s digital economy.

Safaricom said more than 100,000 people are expected to participate both physically and virtually over the three days, an indication of sustained interest in developer communities and industry-led skills initiatives as competition for digital talent intensifies across East Africa.

The event comes at a time when Kenyan businesses are increasing their adoption of cloud services, data-driven products and digital payments, while government agencies continue to promote digitisation of services. For telecoms and technology providers, developer ecosystems are increasingly viewed as a route to create new products, strengthen platform usage and expand enterprise partnerships.

Speaking at the opening, Safaricom Chief Executive Officer Peter Ndegwa said the company sees the summit as a practical space for building scalable solutions. “The Kenyan people are known for their ingenuity, grit and hassle- constantly pushing boundaries and experimenting. Decode gives that energy a place to come alive. By bringing developers, creators, and problem-solvers together, we are creating solutions that can scale across Africa and beyond,” Mr Ndegwa said.

Safaricom said Decode 4.0 includes builder labs, code labs and mentorship programmes aimed at hands-on learning and capacity building. The company added that sessions are aligned to “key growth areas including Artificial Intelligence, Fintech and Creative Tech,” which it described as drivers of Kenya’s next phase of economic transformation.

Beyond the Nairobi summit, Safaricom said it plans to extend Decode through year-round activities, including regional engagements dubbed Decode Cafés, additional code labs and mentorship programmes targeting developers and educators. The company said participants will earn certificates and digital badges as part of skills validation.

In an “About Safaricom” section attached to the statement, the company said it serves more than 60 million customers across Kenya and Ethiopia and estimated its total economic value at KES 1.1 trillion (US$8.5 billion) for the 12 months through March 2025. Safaricom also said it had annual revenues of close to KES 388 billion as at March 2025 and that its 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G network coverage reaches over 99% of Kenya’s population.

The company attributed part of Kenya’s financial inclusion gains to M-PESA, saying the platform empowers 37.9 million customers and helped drive financial inclusion to 84.8% of the adult population in 2024, from 26.7% in 2006. Safaricom said M-PESA generated over KES 161 billion in revenue as at FY25.

Industry analysts have increasingly linked telecom-led developer programmes to broader efforts to grow local software capacity, reduce reliance on imported technology solutions and accelerate innovation in payments, lending, digital identity and creative industries. Partnerships with global technology firms at events such as Decode may also shape enterprise cloud and data strategies for Kenyan corporates, alongside the expansion of AI-enabled products.

Safaricom did not disclose the summit’s budget or any commercial agreements linked to the event, but said Decode will be supported by ongoing community engagements and training initiatives in the months ahead.

Tusk and Lewa Wildlife Conservancy on March 24, 2026 launched the 26th edition of the Lewa Safari Marathon in Nairobi, opening entries for the June 27 race at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and setting a fundraising target of more than KSh15 million, according to organisers.

In a statement issued at the launch, the organisers said proceeds will be directed to wildlife protection as well as community needs such as health and schools. International entries are already open, with entries for Kenya and East Africa scheduled to open on March 27.

The Lewa Safari Marathon has raised KSh1.3 billion since its first edition in 2000, according to the organisers. They said funds have supported conservation initiatives linked to improved outcomes for species including Hawksbill turtles, Grevy’s zebras, rhinos and mountain bongos, and have also financed community programmes including more than 40,000 clinic visits and multiple school initiatives. The statement did not provide a breakdown of the KSh1.3 billion by year or beneficiary.

Mike Watson, CEO of Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, said the event’s contributions extend across conservation and livelihoods. “Every step taken at the Lewa Safari Marathon powers real, measurable conservation impact. Through the commitment of every runner and supporter, we are securing critical habitats, protecting endangered species, and building resilient communities with sustainable livelihoods,” Watson said, adding that sponsors remain central to delivering the programme.

Chantal Migongo-Bake, Tusk’s Chief Conservation Officer, said the marathon is designed to mobilise international and local support for conservation and community programmes. “The Lewa Safari Marathon is more than just a race, it’s a running challenge with purpose… This incredible event continues to raise vital funds that innovate conservation efforts, protect critical landscapes and threatened species, and uplift livelihoods,” she said.

Safaricom, the event’s main sponsor since inception, said it will provide KSh10 million in support for the 2026 edition. Peter Ndegwa, CEO of Safaricom, said: “As part of our continued commitment, we will this year support the event to the tune of KES 10 million… we are equally proud to enable conservation through connectivity, ensuring that Lewa remains digitally empowered to protect wildlife more effectively.”

Huawei Kenya said it will also continue its sponsorship, which the organisers said has run for more than a decade. Gao Fei, CEO of Huawei Kenya, said: “Huawei is delighted to have been a long-standing supporter of the Lewa Safari Marathon.”

Beyond Safaricom and Huawei, the organisers listed additional 2026 partners as National Bank of Kenya, ICEA Lion, Tropical Heat, Safarilink, AMREF, Elewana and Land and Life. They said partner contributions provide core financial support used for conservation and community initiatives.

The race has full marathon, half marathon, 10K and a children’s race. Organisers said more than 25,000 runners from over 40 countries have participated over the years, including Kenyan athletes Eliud Kipchoge, Paul Tergat and Catherine Ndereba. They also cited Runner’s World recognition of the race among top amateur events globally.

For Kenya’s business landscape, the marathon illustrates a recurring model of corporate-backed conservation financing, linking brand partnerships to measurable funding for protected areas and adjacent communities. With the tourism value chain closely tied to wildlife assets, such events can influence conservation budgets, local enterprise activity and destination visibility in the wider Mount Kenya–Laikipia ecosystem.

Organisers said the 2026 race will be held at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with proceeds supporting a range of Kenyan conservation organisations including Borana Conservancy, Grevy’s Zebra Trust, Lamu Marine Conservation Trust and Tsavo Trust, among others. The next milestone is the opening of Kenya and East Africa entries on March 27 ahead of the June 27 event.

Safaricom Plc, through its youth platform Safaricom Hook, has partnered with The Coca-Cola Company’s Sprite brand to host a Hook’d on Fresh Masterclass Series session at the University of Eldoret, with the companies saying the programme trained more than 300 youths on content creation, monetisation and financial literacy.

In a press release dated March 20, 2026, Safaricom (NSE: SCOM) said the Eldoret session followed an earlier stop at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) last week, which it said marked the first event in the series. The company said the university tour is intended to build digital skills among young Kenyans and expose students to opportunities in the technology and digital economy.

The Eldoret training featured what Safaricom described as industry mentors, including musician Collo Blue and dance creator Tileh Pacbro, who the company said shared practical insights with participants.

Student participants linked the training to broader use of digital platforms in academics. “I am happy that Safaricom and Sprite have brought this masterclass to our University today. I have learned that in addition to entertainment, platforms, like Safaricom Hook are also useful in studies and research, because of the affordable Internet bundles,” said Norman Kipkurgat, a second-year student at University of Eldoret, according to the statement.

Safaricom said the programme also included messaging on savings and financial habits. “The Hook’d on Fresh campaign is a digital influencer hosted creator program designed to equip Kenyan creators with the skills, tools and inspiration they need to thrive in the digital content economy. Today, we've also have been speaking to the youth about the importance of adopting a saving culture early, educating them on the diverse opportunities in tech and digital space,” said Fawzia Ali, Chief Consumer Business Officer, Safaricom.

Beyond the campus sessions, the companies have launched a Hook’d on Fresh user-generated content (UGC) challenge that Safaricom said will run nationwide and be hosted on TikTok and Instagram. The statement said participants will post short-form videos across music, sports, fashion and comedy using the hashtags #Hook’donfresh and #SafaricomHook, while tagging Sprite Kenya and the Safaricom Hook page.

Safaricom said the competition will use a tiered rewards system, with 403 digital creators expected to win across nine levels. Cash prizes range from KES 3,000 to KES 20,000, alongside non-cash rewards including smartphones and data bundles, with monthly winner selection, according to the press release.

The initiative lands as Kenyan telcos and consumer brands increasingly use creator-led training and competitions to capture youth attention and drive usage of digital platforms, including content and fintech services. Safaricom’s focus on financial literacy and savings tools alongside creator training reflects a broader market push to deepen engagement among younger customers as digital income opportunities and mobile-first financial services expand.

Safaricom said the Hook’d on Fresh Masterclass Series will continue touring universities across the country, and that the sessions will include exposure to products such as Ziidi Invest and Save. The company did not provide a full tour schedule or the total budget for the programme, but indicated the UGC challenge will award prizes monthly as the campus activations continue.

Safaricom Plc and Indonesia’s Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH) have signed a partnership to collaborate on artificial intelligence (AI) use cases spanning customer experience, digital financial services and network investment planning, the companies said in a joint statement issued on March 17, 2026 in Barcelona.

Under the agreement, the two telcos said they will work on “advanced AI-driven decisioning” to support more proactive customer engagement, including predictive care to detect and resolve network issues before customers are affected, more relevant product recommendations for prepaid users, and conversational AI tools for customer support.

The partnership also includes collaboration around mobile money and broader digital financial services. IOH said it will draw on Safaricom’s operational experience in mobile financial services—built around M-PESA—to strengthen “resilience, security, and personalization” of digital financial journeys, including AI-powered fraud and risk management and improving payment reliability during peak periods.

The announcement comes as telecom operators increasingly deploy AI to manage network complexity, improve service quality and protect digital payments from fraud. For Kenya, where mobile money infrastructure is deeply embedded in everyday commerce, AI-driven fraud detection and reliability initiatives are closely watched by banks, merchants and regulators seeking to reduce losses and maintain customer trust in digital transactions.

In addition to customer and fintech-related initiatives, the companies said they will explore AI-led insights to improve how IOH plans and invests in its network. The statement referenced “CNX-based Smart CAPEX” and the use of AI to make capital expenditure decisions more demand-driven, with a focus on “high-growth and underserved areas.” No financial terms of the partnership were disclosed, and no monetary figures were provided to convert into Kenyan shillings.

Vikram Sinha, President Director and Chief Executive Officer of Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, said the collaboration is intended to translate strategy into deployable outcomes. “This partnership with Safaricom is about moving from aspiration to action,” Sinha said. He added that the companies are focused on “delivering innovations that customers can genuinely feel from smarter networks and safer digital transactions to more personal and intuitive experiences,” according to the statement.

Peter Ndegwa, Chief Executive Officer of Safaricom PLC, said the partnership brings together the firms’ respective strengths. “Our partnership with Indosat is built on our respective strengths, their bold AI‑native transformation and our deep experience in building Africa’s most trusted digital and financial ecosystem,” Ndegwa said. He added that the collaboration aims to support “smarter networks and safer transactions” and contribute to “inclusive digital economies,” according to the statement.

Industry-wide, the initiative signals growing cross-market collaboration between operators seeking to industrialise AI across core telecom functions—customer care, network operations and digital financial services—rather than limit AI deployments to pilots. In Kenya and the wider East African market, the emphasis on fraud and risk management reflects sustained pressure on mobile money providers to strengthen controls as transaction volumes grow and fraud techniques evolve.

The companies also said they will collaborate on talent and leadership development to support AI transformation. Planned initiatives include building “AI-fluent executives,” developing “Business–AI Translator roles,” and enabling cross-organisational learning and short-term secondments to speed up skills transfer.

Next steps and timelines for specific deployments were not provided. The firms said the partnership will focus on practical use cases, suggesting pilots and phased rollouts may follow as the parties identify areas where AI tools can be implemented across customer operations, digital finance and network planning.

Small business vendors working around Naivasha during the 2026 WRC Safari Rally reported an increase in sales as thousands of spectators travelled to rally stages in the lakeside town, according to a media statement shared for publication. Traders interviewed in the statement said the event created a seasonal surge in demand for merchandise and food, while mobile credit and digital payments helped them manage stock and transactions.

The Safari Rally, which returned to Kenya in 2021, has become a recurring commercial peak for micro and small enterprises that follow the circuit to Naivasha. The statement describes vendors travelling from towns including Nakuru, Nairobi, Thika and Kiambu to set up temporary stalls near spectator stages such as Sleeping Warrior, Kedong and Hell’s Gate.

Ayub Mwangi, a tailor based in Nakuru, said he shifts to selling rally-related merchandise during the event, including kites, vuvuzelas and hats. “I have never missed a rally since it returned to Kenya in 2021,” Mwangi said. “Every year I travel to Naivasha because the business here is good. I cannot say exactly how much I make each day, but I always go home happy. A single kite sells for around KES 500, which is more than I might make in a day from tailoring.”

Mwangi said he used a Taasi Pochi loan to increase working capital ahead of the rally. “I needed extra capital to buy enough merchandise for the crowds, so I took a Taasi Pochi loan to boost my business since I didn’t have sufficient funds for stock. The support has truly paid off,” he said.

The statement said Taasi Pochi is a type of Pochi La Biashara loan that allows Safaricom merchants to access instant credit of between KES 1,000 and KES 250,000, available via *USSD 334# or the M-PESA app, with repayment periods of seven, 14 or 30 days.

Food vendors also reported stronger demand at key stages. Maria Wanjiru, who runs Shiro Nyama Choma in Roysambu, Nairobi, said she changed her product strategy after an earlier attempt selling soft drinks. “This is my second year coming to the rally,” Wanjiru said. “Last year I tried selling sodas and it did not work very well. This year I decided to focus on nyama choma and the response has been amazing.”

Wanjiru said she relied mainly on M-PESA payments. “At this event, I am mostly using Lipa Na M-PESA, specifically Buy Goods. It makes business smoother because customers can pay quickly, and I don’t have to worry about looking for change when things get busy,” she said. Her assistant, Job Ogamba, attributed the stronger trade to higher footfall. “The turnout has been incredible,” Ogamba said. “There are so many people coming through the stages. Events like this really create opportunities for small traders.”

For younger traders, the rally offered an alternative income channel. Ian Juma, a 25-year-old from Thika, said he paused boda boda work to operate a mobile snack cart selling smokies, boiled eggs, tea and soda. “In Thika I sell a smokie or egg for about KES 25, but here the demand is much higher,” Juma said, adding that he moved between stages to follow the crowds.

Not all vendors experienced peak-year gains, according to the statement. Joel Macharia of Linkers Butchery in Kiambu said business was “steady” compared with earlier years but still beneficial for traders. “Some of my friends have done extremely well this year,” Macharia said. “Large events like this always bring opportunities.” He added that digital payments were increasingly important for security and convenience in crowded environments.

For Kenya’s business landscape, the rally’s spillover effects underscore how major sports and tourism events can support micro-enterprises through temporary jobs, logistics demand and cashflow for informal traders. The emphasis on mobile credit and digital acceptance also highlights the role of fintech tools in helping small merchants handle short, high-volume trading windows—particularly when working capital constraints limit the ability to stock in advance.

Looking ahead, traders interviewed in the statement indicated the rally weekend is now built into their annual planning, from early travel and site selection to financing and payment setups. As the WRC Safari Rally continues on Kenya’s calendar, Naivasha is likely to remain a focal point for seasonal enterprise tied to spectator-driven spending.