Telecommunications heavyweight Safaricom PLC is undoubtedly Kenya’s most profitable company. The telco recently made history as the first company in the East African region to cross the Sh387.7 billion ($3 billion) mark in annual revenue.
This milestone was marked in the financial year ended March 31, 2025, in which Safaricom also posted a 10.8 percent growth in net profit to Sh69.8 billion.
Granted, revenue growth and profitability are intertwined with sound corporate leadership and management. In fact, strong leadership is often cited as the primary driver of increased profitability from the way it influences various aspects of a company, and ultimately impacts on its bottom line.
For Safaricom, the incredible growth in revenue and profitability, coupled with strategic expansion to markets such as Ethiopia, point to a highly efficient leadership structure.
Bizna Kenya examined this leadership structure, and today brings you the profiles of the top professionals led by Safaricom chief executive officer Peter Ndegwa, who are steering Safaricom’s multi-billion growth.
Peter Ndegwa – Chief Executive Officer
Mr Ndegwa (CBS) is the Chief Executive Officer of Safaricom Group PLC. He joined Safaricom in April 2020, replacing the late Bob Collymore.
Under his leadership, Safaricom became the first company to surpass one billion dollars in earnings (EBIT) in the region. Ndegwa is credited with leading Safaricom’s entry into Ethiopia following the successful acquisition of the $850 million operating license in April 2021.
As of December 31st, 2024, Safaricom Ethiopia covered over 48.5 percent of the Ethiopian population with over 7.1 million customers acquired on the Safaricom network and 1.4 million customers on M-PESA.
Prior to joining Safaricom, Ndegwa played a pivotal role in Diageo PLC, overseeing operations across 50 countries spanning Western and Eastern Europe, Russia, the Middle East, and North Africa.
He had previously served as CEO of Guinness Nigeria PLC and Guinness Ghana Breweries PLC for seven years. He also spent eight years at East African Breweries Limited (EABL) where he held several senior executive roles, including Group Chief Finance Officer (CFO), Group Strategy Director, Sales Director, and Executive Director on the EABL Board.
During his tenure, he was instrumental in doubling the company’s value, leading to EABL being named the Most Respected Business in East Africa for five consecutive years.
One of his most notable achievements at EABL was spearheading the affordable beer strategy, which led to the development of Senator Keg, one of Diageo’s most successful innovations.
Ndegwa holds an MBA from the London Business School and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Nairobi.
Dilip Pal – Chief Finance Officer
Mr. Dilip is the Chief Finance Officer of Safaricom, a position he has held since 2020. His docket is responsible for the overall financial planning, management, and oversight of the organization.
As the CFO, Dilip played a crucial role in signing the $850 million licence fee for Safaricom’s entry into Ethiopia.
Before joining Safaricom, Dilip held various finance roles in various organizations, including DTAC Thailand, Grameenphone Bangladesh, Vodafone India in Mumbai, Hutchinson Essar, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages, and Tata Tinplate.
He holds a Master’s in Commerce from Calcutta University and a Bachelor of Commerce from Goenka College of Commerce.
He is a Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and a Cost Accountant from the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India.
Fred W. Waithaka – Head of Regulatory & Public Policy
Mr. Waithaka is the Head of Regulatory & Public Policy at Safaricom. In his acting capacity as Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Fred is responsible for Safaricom’s reputation management, public policy, legal, and regulatory affairs.
He oversees the development and implementation of Safaricom’s corporate investment strategy and internal and external communications.
Waithaka joined Safaricom in 2017 as Head of Legal and Secretarial Services. During his tenure, he led his team to win two coveted awards: the 2022 Africa Legal Awards Corporate Legal Department of the Year Award (the first time the award was issued to a corporate legal department outside of South Africa); and the 2018-19 Corporate Legal Department of the Year Award from the Law Society of Kenya.
Prior to joining Safaricom, he served at Seacom Ltd as Regional Counsel before growing to the Head of Legal position.
Waithaka oversaw Seacom’s legal and regulatory affairs department with oversight of 7 countries. Other positions he previously held are Principal In-house Counsel at Safaricom for 6 years, and Legal Associate at Kaplan & Stratton Advocates.
He holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL. B Hons) from the University of Bedfordshire. and a Postgraduate Diploma from the Kenya School of Law. He is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya and a Commissioner for Oaths.
Fawzia Ali-Kimanthi – Chief Consumer Business Officer
Ms Ali-Kimanthi is the Chief Consumer Business Officer since March 2023. She joined Safaricom in 2007 as a Senior Manager, Reporting, Accounts Receivable, and M-PESA. Since then, she has grown her career and expanded her breadth through various leadership roles.
She has been the Head of Regional Sales & Operations – Coast, Head of Consumer Planning and Pricing, Head of Consumer Segments, and Head of Digital Products and Services. In October 2021, Fawzia was appointed the Mobile Data Tribe Lead.
Ms Ali-Kimanthi holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Nairobi and an MBA from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
Florence Nyokabi – Chief Human Resources Officer
Ms Nyokabi is the Chief Human Resources Officer. Nyokabi joined Safaricom from Standard Chartered Bank, where she was the Managing Director, Human Resources for Nigeria and West Africa, covering 6 countries.
She previously led the Human Resources organization for Standard Chartered Bank in Kenya and East Africa.
Nyokabi began her career at Kenya Television Network (KTN), then moved to the NCBA Group for 9 years, where she grew to become Senior HR Manager for East Africa.
In 2007, she joined KPMG and soon became the Director of HR and Administration, Kenya and Eastern Africa. She is credited with realigning the organisation culture at KPMG to drive a high-performance and people-centric work environment.
She holds an MBA in Human Resources, and a BCom in Marketing, both from the University of Nairobi. She is a Certified Executive Coach in Brain-Based Coaching, a Certified HR Professional (C-HRP) with the Institute of HR Management Kenya.
Nicholas Mulila – Chief Corporate Security Officer
Mr. Mulila is Safaricom’s Chief Corporate Security Officer, responsible for the Business Risk Management Strategy, Cyber Security Management.
His role also entails Revenue Assurance, AML/CTF Program, Insurance, Ethics & Compliance, and Physical Security.
With 20 years of experience, Mulila joined Safaricom in 2001, and his expertise has seen him climb the ranks to top leadership positions.
He has held various positions at Safaricom, including Senior Management Accountant in the Finance Division, Principal Business Planning & Forecasting Accountant, Head of Corporate Strategy, Head of Commercial Planning & Pricing, Executive Business Analyst, and Director Risk Management.
Prior to joining Safaricom, Nicholas had worked for General Motors (EA) and Eastern Produce (K) Ltd., where he held various positions in Finance.
Mulila holds a Master of Business Administration Degree in Strategy and a Bachelor of Commerce Degree (Accounting Option) from the University of Nairobi.
He is a Professional Accountant and Company Secretary, a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK), and the Institute of Certified Secretaries of Kenya (ICSK).
Mulila is also a member of the American Society for Industrial Security International (ASIS) and a member of the Institute of Directors (Kenya).
Cynthia Karuri-Kropac – Chief Enterprise Business Officer
Ms Karuri-Kropac is the Chief Enterprise Business Officer, a position she has held since August 2022. Under her leadership, Safaricom has rolled out various products aimed at supporting SMEs with financial and technological resources.
The ‘Grow with Safaricom Business’ initiative is among the initiatives rolled out under Karuri’s leadership, which has played a pivotal role in helping small businesses scale up and navigate the increasingly digital business landscape.
Before her appointment, Karuri served as the Senior Director, Enterprise Mobile and IoT Technologies at AT&T, since 2019.
Karuri’s career at AT&T Inc. spanned 19 years, having joined BellSouth in 2003 as a Senior IT Client Account Management Lead before taking on the role of Director, Mobile Service Delivery and Operations, for Cingular Wireless in 2008.
In 2010, she was appointed AT&T Global Lead and Director, Enterprise Solutions and Sales Support.
She holds a Bachelor of Finance from the University of Toledo, Ohio, and an MBA in Finance and International Business from Kent State University, Ohio.
Michael Mutiga – Chief Business Development & Strategy Officer
As the Chief Business Development & Strategy Officer, Mutiga leads Safaricom’s business development and transformation agenda.
He is responsible for Strategic Partnerships, Mergers and Acquisitions, Safaricom’s funding strategy and asset optimization.
With over 20 years’ experience in Corporate and Investment Banking, Mutiga joined Safaricom from Citibank, where he was a Managing Director and Head of Corporate Finance for Sub-Saharan Africa from 2019.
He previously served as head of Corporate and Investment Banking for Citibank Kenya and was appointed a Senior Credit Officer in 2018.
Mutiga also worked at Barclays (now Absa) where he grew from a Management Associate to the Regional Coverage Head – East Africa, Investment Banking Division Africa, a role he held until he joined Citibank in 2006.
His expertise has earned him numerous awards, including the Corporate Banker of the Year award, which he won 5 separate times at the Annual Banking Awards. He was also listed for three years as a Top 40 under 40.
Mutiga holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Nairobi and a Master’s in Law degree from Temple University. He is an Advocate and a Certified Public Secretary and sits on the Board of Junior Achievement.
Esther Masese Waititu – Chief Financial Services Officer
Ms Waititu is the Chief Financial Services Officer, where she leads the development of financial products, services, and solutions for consumers and enterprises.
Under her leadership, Safaricom continues to expand M-PESA’s reach with new products for consumers, including businesses.
Before joining Safaricom, Esther held management positions at various companies, including KCB, Stanbic, Standard Chartered Bank, and Commercial Bank of Africa (which merged with NIC Bank to form NCBA)
She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of East Africa, Baraton, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Liverpool, UK.
James Maitai – Chief Technology and Information Officer
Mr Maitai is the Chief Technology and Information Officer (CTIO) at Safaricom. In his role, Maitai leads the technology team, ensuring the smooth operation of Safaricom’s network and all IT systems.
With over 23 years’ experience within the technology sector, Maitai re-joined Safaricom in October 2024, replacing George Njuguna.
He previously served as Safaricom Ethiopia’s CTIO since January 2023, where he led the rapid deployment of a comprehensive technology stack and acceleration of the network to 3,000 sites.
Maitai was also instrumental in operationalizing the M-Pesa ecosystem, implementing a next-generation digital infrastructure and core network, and driving strategic cost leadership by realizing over 30 per cent savings in technology OPEX.
He holds a B.Sc. in Electrical & Electronics Engineering from the University of Nairobi, and an MBA from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT).
Maitai is also a certified coach and has undergone advanced management programs at Strathmore Business School, Lagos Business School, and IESE in Spain.
Martin Chere – Commercial Operations Lead
Mr. Chere is the Commercial Operations Lead, also known as Channel Business Development. In his role, he is responsible for driving Safaricom’s channel’s strategic objectives, focusing on sales, service experience, digitization of CARE, and distribution.
He also leads the implementation of efforts that enhance customer experience, interactions, and engagement across various touchpoints.
He previously served as the Regional Business Lead for Nairobi Metropolitan, where he was responsible for commercial sales and growth objectives within the region.
Chere joined Safaricom in 2022 from Airtel Kenya, where he was the Director – Sales and Distribution for 2 years.
He also held other leadership roles in various organizations, including Coca-Cola, Standard Group, S.C. Johnson & Son (K), and Airtel Africa.
Chere holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Marketing from KCA University and a Diploma in IT from JKUAT University.
