Public participation on the proposed divestiture of the government\u2019s stake in Safaricom Plc is drawing strong interest from citizens who say the move could offer relief from rising taxes and the cost of living, provided the process is transparent and the proceeds are well protected.<\/p>\n
The proposal involves the sale of 15 per cent of Safaricom shares to Vodafone at Sh34 per share, while the government currently holds 35 per cent of the company, a stake valued at between Sh280 billion and Sh300 billion.<\/p>\n
Participants across the country said the plan presents a rare opportunity for the State to raise revenue without passing the burden to households already struggling with high prices and taxes.<\/p>\n
Public forums held in counties including Kitui, Nairobi and Nakuru revealed that many Kenyans are fatigued by repeated tax increases and borrowing, and now see the divestiture as a way to finance development without deepening their financial strain.<\/p>\n
Residents told the National Assembly\u2019s Joint Committees on Finance and National Planning, and Privatisation and Public Debt, that Parliament must pass a law to ring-fence the proceeds and ensure they are not lost to wastage or corruption.<\/p>\n
While backing the sale, participants warned that it must not lead to job losses, higher consumer charges, or loss of Kenyan influence over Safaricom.<\/p>\n
Many said that selling part of the stake could raise around Sh200 billion, funds they believe could help complete stalled infrastructure projects and improve service delivery.<\/p>\n
Speaking during the consultations, Moro MP Kimani Kuria said the government opted to sell the shares to Vodafone, a long-standing partner with expertise in the sector, rather than to an unfamiliar buyer.<\/p>\n
He said the sale would help reduce debt inherited from previous administrations and ease pressure on taxpayers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government is only selling 15 percent, and the buyer is purchasing at Sh34 per share, compared to the current market rate of Sh28,\u201d he said.
\nResidents said the move makes sense if it leads to real improvements in their lives.<\/p>\n
Jerusha Muthoni, from New Mukuru Estate, said the funds should translate into development. \u201cI fully support the move 100 percent because the money will be for development,\u201d she said, praising the government\u2019s affordable housing initiatives.<\/p>\n
Samson Kumenda, from Njiru Sub-County, welcomed the divestiture but insisted that transparency must guide the process.<\/p>\n
\u201cI support the move, but there needs to be transparency in the dealing. Before the government bought Safaricom shares, they had envisioned that they would sell them one day,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
From Bahati Constituency, Eddie Odongo said the sale was a better option than increasing taxes. \u201cThis is a good move.<\/p>\n
The money will be used for development purposes,\u201d he said. John Maina, also from Bahati, said the proceeds should be channeled into projects that improve livelihoods.<\/p>\n
\u201cI support the proposed sale of the government\u2019s stake in Safaricom since it will help accelerate infrastructure development. Once the money is obtained, it should be used wisely,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Others urged the government to prioritise grassroots needs. Elizabeth Kosgei, from Rongai, said, \u201cDon\u2019t forget us! Pesa ikitoka, construct roads for us as we pregnant women have been suffering and we will appreciate it.\u201d<\/p>\n
From Kitui, Gideon Muthoka said the sale would reduce reliance on foreign loans.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government is just selling what they own \u2014 you sell what is yours, and this is what they are doing,\u201d he said. Nicholas Musili added, \u201cInstead of borrowing and overtaxing Kenyans, let the government sell the shares,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Participants said their support will ultimately depend on whether the government proves that the proceeds will ease financial pressure on citizens and translate into visible development across the country.<\/p>\n
If you have a story in your community or an opinion article, let’s publish it. Send us an email via citizenposts24@gmail.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Public participation on the proposed divestiture of the government\u2019s stake in Safaricom Plc is drawing strong interest from citizens who say the move could offer relief from rising taxes and the cost of living, provided the process is transparent and the proceeds are well protected. The proposal involves the sale of 15 per cent of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24902,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[718,123],"class_list":{"0":"post-24901","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-safaricom-kenya","9":"tag-william-ruto"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/citizenposts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-02-07-at-20.57.35.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citizenposts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24901","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citizenposts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citizenposts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citizenposts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citizenposts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24901"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citizenposts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24901\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24903,"href":"https:\/\/citizenposts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24901\/revisions\/24903"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citizenposts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citizenposts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citizenposts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citizenposts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}