Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai has called for Safaricom Group Plc to slash the costs of its data and M-Pesa services by half, following the company’s announcement of a robust half-year profit of Ksh43 billion for the period ending September 30, 2025.

In an X post dated November 7, 2025, Alai criticised the telecom giant’s pricing strategy, arguing that its market dominance is exploitative in a low-income economy.

“Safaricom should reduce the cost of its products,” Alai wrote, highlighting the firm’s Sh43 billion profit milestone as reported by the Star newspaper. He further asserted, “Being a dominant player with such a market base is seriously evil in a country like Kenya,” pointing to Safaricom’s near-monopoly status in mobile and financial services.

Company reports strong half-year performance

The call for price cuts comes as Safaricom reported a 52 percent surge in net profit to Ksh42.8 billion, driven by strong performance in Kenya and a narrowing of losses in Ethiopia.

Safaricom Kenya contributed Ksh194.08 billion in service revenue, a 9.3 percent increase year-on-year, with earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) rising 13.1 percent to Ksh89.5 billion.

The growth is fueled by high demand for mobile data and M-Pesa, which remain central to the company’s profitability.

Alai’s proposal to “Halve the cost of data and M-Pesa Safaricom. You will still make profit,” suggests that the company could maintain profitability while making services more affordable for Kenyan consumers.

Safaricom’s Ethiopian operations also showed progress, with service revenue soaring 136 percent to Ksh6.28 billion, though the subsidiary recorded an EBIT loss of Ksh24.38 billion and a net loss of Ksh15.58 billion. Overall, the Group’s service revenue reached Ksh199.98 billion, up 11.1 percent, with EBIT growing 54.5 percent to Ksh65.2 billion.

Resilient fundamentals

CFA Dedan Maina noted that the results reflect “resilient fundamentals and strategic foresight,” with Ethiopia transitioning from capital strain to value creation. Despite a decline in net profit margins from 30.2 percent in 2022 to 20.9 percent in 2025 due to investment costs, the trend is expected to stabilize as operational cash inflows increase.