President William Ruto has finally spoken openly about the recent high Business competition between Safaricom PLC and Elon musk’s Starlink. Musk’s growing investment in Kenya’s internet provision space has come off as great risk on business for Kenya’s telecommunications giant Safaricom. This competition has ignited varied opinions among Kenyans. A section of them led by MP Gitonga Mukunji have recently breathed fire on Starlink. Hon Mukunji vowed to stage motions in parliament seeking to protect not only Safaricom but also other Kenyan companies against external competition.
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Speaking at the Kenya Business and Investment Roundtable in New York, Ruto revealed that while Musk’s ventures, such as Starlink, have stirred up competition, they are essential to driving innovation in Kenya’s telecommunications sector. Nevertheless, Ruto emphasized that such competition is vital for driving innovation and ensuring that companies continually adapt and excel in the fast-paced digital economy. He argued that embracing these challenges will ultimately benefit consumers and enhance the overall landscape of Kenya’s telecommunications sector
“But competition makes you stay ahead, and Safaricom has certainly upped its game. I must admit Peter has been doing quite well,”
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During his remarks, President William Ruto has acknowledged Safaricom’s significant dominance in the market. Moreover, he has noted that Safaricom’s CEO, Peter Ndegwa, has openly voiced concerns about the impact of global players like Elon Musk entering the scene.
“I have my CEO for Safaricom, sometimes he’s not very happy with me for bringing other characters like Elon Musk and others into the space. I keep encouraging Peter that competition makes you keep ahead and he’s been doing pretty well, I must admit, he’s really upped his game,”
Since its onset on the Kenyan market, Starlink has thrown high competition towards companys offering internet in the country. Starlink has been offering high speed internet at extremely affordable prices if not cheap. this has seen many customers including government parastatals moving to Starlink. Safaricom controls the better part of the fixed internet market in Kenya. The Company provides internet for approximately 370,000 homes and 32,000 businesses connected to various internet packages through fibre-optic technology.