Kenya’s cell cash sector continues to drive progress in a maturing telecommunications market, with subscriptions reaching 51.36 million within the second quarter of the 2025/26 monetary 12 months, in accordance with the Communications Authority of Kenya.
Whereas complete cell (SIM) subscriptions barely elevated by 0.1% to 78.4 million, cell cash uptake grew 5.6%, highlighting a shift within the business: progress is not outlined by new subscribers, however by the depth and variety of companies customers use.
Safaricom remained the dominant participant in cell cash by means of M-Pesa, accounting for 45.7 million customers, roughly 89% of the market. Rivals are step by step making inroads; Airtel Cash Kenya elevated its subscriptions to five.6 million, lifting its market share to 11.0% from 10.3% within the earlier quarter. Analysts say even modest positive factors are vital in a extremely concentrated market, signaling early aggressive shifts.
This aggressive dynamic is mirrored in broader cell subscriptions. Safaricom stays the biggest community with about 53.9 million subscriptions, adopted by Airtel Kenya with 24.3 million, Telkom Kenya with 1.1 million, and smaller operators and MVNOs holding marginal shares.
Voice companies proceed to play a key function in engagement. Airtel Kenya recorded 11.83 billion minutes of voice site visitors, up 2.4% from the earlier quarter, with off-net calls rising 8.4%, exhibiting elevated cross-network communication. Airtel customers averaged 2.7 minutes per name, in comparison with about 1.6 minutes on Safaricom, illustrating how pricing continues to form utilization patterns.
On the similar time, knowledge adoption is rising steadily. Cell knowledge subscriptions grew 2.9%, broadband connections by 9.3%, and general smartphone adoption elevated 9.1%, reinforcing the pattern towards a data-driven digital economic system. In the meantime, SMS volumes declined throughout all networks, reflecting a structural shift towards internet-based messaging platforms.
Different gamers, together with Jamii Telecommunications, stay area of interest, whereas entrants like Starlink are beginning to affect connectivity, notably in underserved areas, which can create new channels for cell cash adoption sooner or later.
The newest report highlights that Kenya’s telecom sector is transferring past subscriber numbers. Market management is more and more decided by how nicely operators combine monetary companies, preserve affordability, and deepen shopper engagement, making cell cash central to the nation’s digital economic system.
