Safaricom to Pay One-Year Rent, Give Phones to Victims of Anti-Finance Bill Protests

Safaricom has promised to provide assistance to individuals who were affected by protests against the Finance Bill 2024.

Speaking at the Kenyatta National Hospital, Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa has announced that the telecommunication company will spend Ksh5 million to provide assistive devices to those injured during protests.

Additionally, he said that it will issue smartphones and airtime for those who lost their phones, supporting affected individuals with three months’ worth of food and one year’s worth of rent for those in extreme condition.

Ndegwa also donated Ksh15 million to the Kenyatta National Hospital, on behalf of Safaricom and M-PESA Foundations to take care of protestors admitted at the facility.

“Our Foundations are there to stand with people, especially in times of need. We are happy to provide hospitals with structured support in times of emergencies, both for infrastructure improvement and patient recovery,” said Ndegwa.

Also Read: Safaricom Shop on the Spot for Locking Out Watchman During Protests

Other Donations Made by Safaricom

At the same time, the company made a Ksh10 million donation for the hospital’s Disaster Response Centre, and Ksh5 million towards supporting those injured and admitted at the hospital.

In addition, through its M-Pesa Foundation, Safaricom is organizing medical camps in affected areas including Githurai and Rongai beginning July 6, 2024.

Also, it will mobilize its Gen Z employees and other organizations under the #GenZforGenZ initiative to mobilize volunteer squads that will be leading community outreaches, clean-ups, and medical camps.

Ndegwa has explained that the company plans on providing TVET scholarships, championing economic empowerment through the Ndoto Zetu program, agri-business value chain opportunities through the Wezesha Agri Program, and offering access to business training and micro-loans in 13 counties. 

Also Read: Safaricom Responds to Claims of Sharing Customers’ Private Information

Ndegwa on the Spot for Sharing Customer Details to DCI

The company was in several instances accused of breaching data privacy laws by sharing personal information of the Finance Bill 2024 protestors with the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI).

However, in a statement issued on June 25, Safaricom refuted the reports saying that it had not shared any of its customers’ information with any government agency.

“We respect our customers privacy and adhere strictly by the country’s data protection laws. As such we do not share any customer data unless explicitly required of us via a court order,” Safaricom said.

“On the current issue in discussion, we confirm that we have not received any court order requiring us to share customer information with any government agency.”

Follow our WhatsApp Channel for real-time news updates!

https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaB3k54HltYFiQ1f2i2C