Kenya’s biggest telecom company, Safaricom, has repportedly stopped advertising with Nation Media Group (NMG) after The Daily Nation published a critical report a few weeks ago.
The newspaper’s story claimed that Safaricom shared personal data of Kenyans, such as calls, texts, and locations, with rogue police officers without proper consent. This has stirred public concerns over privacy and misuse of data.
This decision by Safaricom to cut ties with NMG has raised eyebrows. Some feel the move is an attempt to push back against critical reporting and silence the media on sensitive matters.
Safaricom PLC CEO Peter Ndegwa poses for a photo. Source: Safaricom PLC/Facebook
Surprisingly, Safaricom instead has decided to place its ads in The Standard and The Star, NMG’s main competitors, a shift many see as a warning to other media outlets.
The public is particularly sensitive to this story given Safaricom’s recent actions.
For instance just a few days ago, the company allegedly suspended Telegram, a messaging app, due to alleged cases of KCSE exam leakages.
Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa. Source: Facebook
Many feel that securing exams should be the responsibility of the Kenyan National Examination Council, not a private telecom company.
In another instance, during anti-government protests on June 25, Kenyans also noticed a national network outage. On that day, many demonstrators reported being attacked or detained, with some still missing.
That notwithstanding, Safaricom has not made any statements addressing the public’s concerns. As digital privacy becomes an increasingly important issue, more Kenyans are questioning Safaricom’s role in safeguarding customer data and its influence over the media.
