When it comes to the festive season, everyone has their celebration tradition. While some choose to unite with their families, others go for fun and relaxation as they prepare for the coming year.

Mombasa and the entire coastal region is one of the top destinations for those seeking to unwind. The city’s renowned white-sand beaches such as Diani, Nyali, and Bamburi attract both local and international visitors.

Paired with world-class marine experiences like snorkeling, diving, and dhow cruises, Mombasa provides a unique blend of leisure and adventure.

SGR is the most preferred mode of transport to the coast owing to its efficiency.  It offers cheap tickets at Sh1,500 for the Economy class and Sh4,500 for first class.

The most luxurious option is the Premium class, priced significantly higher. A one-way ticket costs Sh12,000, while a return trip is offered at a discounted rate of Sh20,000.

The standard journey departs from Nairobi at 9:40 am and arrives in Mombasa at 3:35 pm.

Kenya Railways on Monday announced the addition of a new Madaraka Express Passenger train to accommodate the expected surge in holiday travel along the Nairobi–Mombasa route. The extra train will operate daily from December 8, 2025, to January 5, 2026.

“We have introduced an additional Madaraka Express Passenger train to support the increased travel demand this festive season The service will run from 8th December 2025 to 5th January 2026 to ensure more passengers are accommodated and travel disruptions are minimized,” the corporation said.

According to the schedule, the additional train will depart from Nairobi at 9:40am, arrive in Voi at 1:35pm, and proceed to Mombasa, where it is expected to arrive at 3:55pm.

For the return leg, the train will always leave Mombasa at 4:30pm, stop in Voi at 6:15pm and arrive in Nairobi at 10:55 pm.

SGR had earlier announced that all premium class passenger trains are fully booked until February 2026.

“The demand for this premium class is high, so we are now going to order more coaches and equipment to ensure that everyone is accommodated. And for your information, we are booked until February,” SGR Managing Director Philip Mainga said.

“We are fully booked for Christmas; we do not have any seats, but we are willing to run special trains and ensure that Kenyans go to Mombasa and enjoy themselves and come back,” he added.

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Vivo Energy in partnership with Safaricom PLC has announced Sh2 fuel discount for online cab drivers in the country.

The offer is part of a product dubbed Bundle Ya Deere, a recently launched proposition by Safaricom that offers cab drivers unique access to connectivity and work productivity tools.

Under the new partnership, online taxi drivers subscribed to Bundle Ya Dere will enjoy a fuel discount of Sh2 per litre every time they fuel at Shell service stations across the country.

The fuel discount will be available only on Saturdays and will help reduce operational costs, making driving more affordable. This combination of connectivity, insurance and savings is a comprehensive solution for drivers’ daily needs.

The offer complements free access to apps such as Uber, Bolt, Little, Faras and Yego, Google Maps, and subsidised insurance.

“As Safaricom, our commitment remains to listen, innovate and enhance our customer’s experiences, therefore co-creating solutions that make life better. The launch of this dual deal in partnership with Vivo Energy Kenya, will enhance customer value through subsidized operational costs and enhance savings,” Fawzia Ali Kimathi, Chief Consumer Business Officer at Safaricom said.

ALSO READ: Top ten Safaricom shareholders and the number of shares they own

“In a mobile and on-demand world, this milestone puts together connectivity, convenience and savings, enabling drivers to focus on what they do best. We encourage drivers to fill up their tanks at Shell every Saturday to get the best value from this deal,” he added.

To further enhance safety and security, the proposition includes subsidized insurance coverage for drivers and riders from accidents, illness, or loss of income, as well as training on financial literacy and road safety.

On financial wellness, Safaricom has rolled out Safire Connect empowerment forums that seek to advance knowledge on entrepreneurship, financial wellness and digital & AI fluency, for communities including riders and drivers.

“Every day we serve millions of Kenyans across our retail network and today we are excited to join an initiative that offers real, everyday value to taxi drivers across the country. This collaboration further enhances our customer experience, making every stop at Shell more rewarding than ever,” said Mr. Peter Murungi, Managing Director, Vivo Energy Kenya.

As part of the Shangwe celebrations marking Safaricom’s 25 years of operations, drivers will benefit from upcoming forums that will cover financial wellness, health and safety, as well as practical ways to utilize digital tools to grow their income for secure livelihoods.

Is the government of Kenya the largest shareholder at Safaricom? Who are the top ten largest Safaricom shareholders? How many shares do they own? Well, according to the annual report and financial statements of Safaricom for the year ended March 31, 2025, the top ten Safaricom shareholders were:

1). Vodafone Kenya Limited with 16 billion shares. Vodafone’s stake is equivalent to 39.93 percent.

2). Cabinet Secretary to the National Treasury [Government of Kenya] with 14,022,572,580 shares. This stake is equivalent to 35 percent shareholding.

3). Standard Chartered Kenya Nominees Ltd A/C Ke004667 with 380,658,806 shares representing a 0.95 percent stake.

4). Kenya Commercial Bank Nominees Limited A/C 1019D with 365,227,900 representing 0.91 percent.

5). Kenya Commercial Bank Nominees Limited A/C 915B with 345,582,886 shares equivalent to a stake of 0.86 percent.

6). Stanbic Nominees Limited NR7522171 with 245,586,200 shares equivalent to a stake of 0.61 percent.

7). Stanbic Nominees Ltd A/C NR1030824 with 224,513,900 shares equivalent to 0.56 percent stake.

8). Standard Chartered Nominees Resd A/C KE11401 with 163,458,207 shares representing a stake of 0.50 percent.

9). Stanbic Nominees Limited R6631578 with 188,160,853 shares equivalent to a stake of 0.47 percent.

10). Standard Chartered Nominees Resd A/C KE11443 which has 163, 458,207 shares which are equivalent to a stake of 0.41 percent.

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The rest of shareholders at Safaricom hold a combined stake of 19.79 percent which comprises of 7,927,725,909 shares. In total, Safaricom has a total of 40,065,428,000 shares.

Safaricom shares were first sold to the public through an Initial Public Offer (IPO) which lasted for a period of three weeks from March 28, 2008. The shares went on sale at a rate of Sh5 per share. Foreign and local investors placed bids worth a combined Sh. 231 billion, which was a 360 per cent oversubscription.

The IPO came close to doubling the number of investors at the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) from 800,000 to 1.5 million. The local retail pool saw an oversubscription of 669.7 percent. On June 9 2008, the Safaricom shares began to trade at the NSE, debuting at the bourse at Sh5 apiece.

The current composition of the top ten largest Safaricom shareholders is expected to change following the government’s decision to sell 15 percent of its shares to South Africa’s Vodacom Group.

In the sale, the government is expected to pocket Sh204.3 billion after handing over 15 percent of its stake to Vodacom Group at a rate of Sh34 per share.

In addition to the Sh204.3 billion that the government is expected to earn, the government will also take Sh40.2 billion in advance dividend to bring its total earnings to Sh244.5 billion.

The government is selling 15 percent of its Safaricom shares to South Africa’s Vodacom Group. The shares will be sold at Sh34 apiece and will see the government pocket Sh204.3 billion.

This sale will reduce the government’s shareholding in Safaricom from the current stake of 35 percent to a stake of 20 percent.

“The proposed transaction shall be comprised of the acquisition by Vodafone Kenya of the additional shares for a consideration of Sh204.3 billion at a price of Sh34 per share,” Safaricom said in a public notice.

In addition to the Sh204.3 billion that shall be collected from the sale, the government will take Sh40.2 billion in advance dividend to bring its total earnings to Sh244.5 billion.

“[The sale shall include] Vodafone Kenya buying the right to receive future Safaricom dividends for an upfront payment of Sh40.2 billion to the government of Kenya, in lieu of future dividends that will accrue to the government’s residual 20 percent shareholding in Safaricom,” a notice by Safaricom on the sale says.

This advanced dividend payout will amount to a dividend pay at a rate of about Sh6.69 per share. Besides this transaction, South Africa’s Vodacom Group will purchase a 12.5 percent stake that is currently held by Vodafone International Holdings in Vodafone Kenya for Sh68 billion.

This will push Vodacom’s interest in Safaricom to 55 percent while giving the company total ownership of Vodafone Kenya.

“The acquisition by Vodacom of the Vodafone Kenya Shares for a consideration of Sh68.1 billion, resulting in Vodacom owning 100 percent of Vodafone Kenya’s share capital directly and approximately 55 percent of Safaricom’s share capital indirectly.”

Prior to this acquisition, Vodacom has been holding a 40 percent stake in Safaricom while the government has been holding a 35 percent stake. The public has been holding shares equivalent to a stake of 20 percent.

At the same time, Vodafone Kenya which has been holding 16 billion shares equivalent to 39.93 percent in Safaricom has been jointly owned by Vodacom and Vodafone. Vodacom, which is headquartered in Midrand, South Africa, is listed on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange (JSE).

Vodafone on the other hand is a private limited liability company which is headquartered in Netherlands. Vodacom and Vodafone are both subsidiaries of the Vodafone Group Plc which is an international telecommunications company that is headquartered in Newbury, England. It operates in 15 countries and is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE).

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The sale at a rate of Sh34 per share will be a premium on the current share price of around Sh28 which the Safaricom has been trading around. As at the end of trading at the Nairobi Securities Exchange on December 3, 2025, the counter was trading at an average of Sh28.20 per share with a 52-week high of Sh31 per share and a one-year low of Sh15.10.

The sale of these shares by the government follows the recent Privatization Act of 2025 that was signed into law on October 21, 2025. In this new law, the government has been allowed by Section 74 to sell or dispose part or all of its shares in a government-linked corporation with the approval of the Cabinet following a recommendation from the National Treasury.

“Completion of the proposed transaction is [now] subject to approval from governmental and regulatory authorities including the Kenyan cabinet, Kenyan National Assembly, Capital Markets Authority, Communications Authority of Kenya, the Central Bank of Kenya, COMESA Competition Commission, and the East African Community Competition Authority,” Safaricom stated in its notice.

The Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) has come out to speak after reports went round that part of the 1,024 kilograms of methamphetamine that had been seized off the Kenyan coast has been stolen by its officials.

In a statement from KDF Strategic Communications, KDF refuted these claims, saying that the illegal drugs popularly known as Crystal Meth were in a secure location. “The entire consignment offloaded ashore remains secure,” KDF said.

Nonetheless, KDF confirmed that a number of its officials who are suspected of involvement in the alleged theft were under investigation. The army stated that if they are found to have committed any wrongdoing, ‘appropriate disciplinary and legal measures will be taken in accordance with the law.

The drugs seized by the military are worth an estimated Sh8.2 billion in street value. The crystal meth drugs were seized off the Kenyan coast, about 630 kilometres east of Mombasa.

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The drugs were seized from a stateless dhow that was dubbed as ‘Igor’. The dhow had a crew of six who were all Iranian nationals. The meth seized by Kenya Navy was packaged in packets that were concealed in black polythene bags.

These packets were then wrapped with a yellow tape labelled that was labeled as ‘100 per cent roasted and grounded Arabica coffee’. This was meant to disguise them as coffee.

This was the third seizure of drugs worth over Sh1 billion, raising questions on whether the Kenyan waters are a transit for illegal habour and, or an entry point for illegal drugs.

For instance, in 2014, Sh1.4 billion heroin was found aboard a ship in the Indian Ocean by the Kenya Navy. These drugs were found on the deck of the vessel AMIN DARYA also known as MV Al Noor.

Six Pakistani nationals and 1 Iranian national were arrested and sentenced to life in prison by a Magistrate’s Court.  However, they filed an appeal at the High Court and were set free by Justice Wendy Micheni over what was termed as procedural shortcomings.

In 2006, 1.1 tonnes of cocaine valued at an estimated Sh6 billion was seized by the police in Nairobi and Malindi in 2006.