Service disruption as Safaricom announces maintenance

By Peter Ochieng

Are you a Safaricom customer?

If yes, prepare for disruption of up to six services, as the giant telecommunications company prepares for a system maintenance exercise.

In a notice on Saturday, Safaricom said the system update will run from 10pm on Saturday, October 26, 2024 to 5am on Sunday, October 27, 2024.

Services to be disrupted include top up and okoa jahazi.

"During this period, you may experience an interruption in the following services: all top-up airtime services, okoa jahazi services and all bundle purchases via airtime and M-Pesa.”

Others are subscription services, postpaid payments, Sambaza, Bonga and SIM Swaps.

"Other than for the services listed above, all other services will remain available. We apologise for the inconvenience," added the company.

This week, Safaricom staff lead by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Peter Ndegwa celebrated 24 years since inception.

According to the telco’s 13th Sustainable Business Report, it contributed Sh722 billion to the Kenyan economy, as it sustained 1,283,329 jobs in the last financial year.

Safaricom’s economic value to society through its operations stood at Sh562.2 billion while M-PESA’s social value stood at Sh348 billion.

The telco also reported that over 8 million Kenyans have been impacted by community projects through the Safaricom and M-PESA Foundations. It has also increased the percentage of women in leadership to 42.4%.

“Safaricom has been navigating rapidly changing business and social environments by deploying sustainable business practices. Looking ahead, our Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles will be anchored on technology as we prepare to transition to a TechCo by 2030,” said Ndegwa.

“This will grant us new opportunities to meet the evolving needs of our communities, improving customer experience and maintaining environmental stewardship.”

“Sustainability has enabled us to have a competitive edge for the last 24 years which has made us more than just a telco but a company that has driven empowerment, innovation and opportunity among our customers and communities. This is possible because we put purpose before profit,” added Ndegwa.

The company was founded on October 23rd, 2000.