A few weeks after the launch of the sustainable business report, Safaricom marked yet another decade of transforming lives since its inception here in Kenya. The anniversary celebrated the journey of Safaricom since it was founded, its purpose of transforming lives and a new era of Twende Tukiuke, as the company crossed the threshold to usher in the third decade.
But that is not what has many excited. What’s exciting is that Safaricom’s 20th anniversary came with goodies that subscribers will get to enjoy throughout the month.
For 30 days, under the 20@20 promotion, Safaricom customers can purchase 20 minutes of call time and get 20MBs`at only Ksh 20. As part of the package, customers will also get to enjoy free calls of 20 minutes each.
So that customers can take advantage of the offer, each subscriber should expect to receive a notification a day before, alerting them of their free call. But that’s not all, people turning 20 this year, as well as subscribers who have been part of the network for 20 years, will receive a free 20GB data bundle that will be valid 7 days.
For the next 90 days, however, purchasing personalised Tunukiwa voice offers will give you 20 free minutes, to call across all networks. The two offers are available on *444# under the ‘Buy Minutes’ option.
Commenting on the Twende Tukiuke which in other words, is Safaricom’s vision for the future, Peter Ndegwa CEO Safaricom said the company will go beyond to new frontiers, be more present, more world-class as well as catapult SME’s into greater possibilities.
The telco will be going beyond being a connectivity and payment platform to become a lifestyle-driven brand that empowers different sectors in transforming their lives. These sectors include the health, education and agriculture sectors. As part of the strategy to become a purpose-led technology company by 2025, Ndegwa also noted that Safaricom plans to build new digital ecosystems in order to give holistic technology solutions to the aforementioned sectors.
Other ways the telco plans to go beyond is by;
- Launching of Data Usage Transparency, which provides customers with detailed usage statements.
- Making it easy to do MPESA Business, with the aggregation of all MPESA services under the USSD *334#
- Enabling SMEs to run their businesses digitally through enhanced connectivity and financing propositions
- Supporting MSMEs with the launch of Pochi la Biashara. Pochi la Biashara is an innovative product that will allow the separation of business and personal wallets on M-PESA. To access this product business people should dial *344# to access.
- Through M-PESA Africa, evolving M-PESA into a lifestyle platform and universal payment network on the continent.
Recently, Safaricom launched the Mpesa for Business app as a way of leveraging technology to empower small and medium businesses. During the anniversary, the CEO highlighted that Safaricom will continue to support the growth of SMEs and Micro-SMEs as they are the engine of Kenya’s economy.
But what about connectivity and internet access?
Speaking during the celebration, Sylvia Mulinge, Chief customer officer, Safaricom said that over 50% of Safaricom’s customers still use 2Gg devices. “If truly Safaricom is to go beyond, we have to make sure that we bring these customers into the internet age and ensure that they have access to the 4G network that we have across the country,” she concluded.
In light of this Safaricom aims to;
- Democratize data and expand access to 4G and fibre
- Achieve 100% 4G access across the country by the end of the year.
- Leverage fibre and 4G network to provide internet to 1 million homes and businesses over the next 5 years.
- Improve customer experience in terms of coverage.
Twende Tukiuke is one way of Safaricom saying that it will go beyond what’s thought possible when it comes to innovation and leveraging mobile technology to transform lives. The company aims to continue simplifying its products and services, staying on course, and delivering on the For You promise that was made last year.
It’s worth mentioning that some important information was shared during the launch after pressing customer questions were brought to light. For instance
- What happens when a relative passes on and leaves money in their Mpesa?
To access the assets of someone who has passed on, one needs to get letters of administration. Safaricom has provided forms on their retail centres as a way of making it easy for Kenyans to get the needed letters of administration, which can be used to claim Mpesa assets lefts by the deceased.
For more information and updates on products and services, visit Safaricom’s platform to learn more.
Recently, Safaricom launched its 9th sustainable business report, which focussed on resilience through the transition. Read on to find out more.
My Experience With Using Safaricom’s Pochi La Biashara For My Business
