Safaricom Recognized as the Most Inclusive Listed Company in Kenya

9 March 2023

Recognition at the 2023 DIAR Awards comes as telco achieves 40% of women in senior leadership.

Nairobi 9^th March 2023… Safaricom (NSE: SCOM) has been recognized as the most inclusive listed company in Kenya at the 2023 Diversity and Inclusion Awards and Recognition (DIAR).

The award, which was issued during a gala dinner that attracted Kenya’s top employer brands, recognizes Safaricom for its diversity, equity, and inclusion programmes. This includes efforts to attract, grow and retain employees from diverse backgrounds, with a focus on gender, persons with disabilities, youth, and other marginalized and under-represented communities.

“Driven by our purpose of transforming lives and our commitment to the sustainable development goals, we are keen to ensure that we leave no one behind. We have taken steps to create an inclusive workplace, and this award is a welcome recognition of our efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion at Safaricom and within the communities we serve,” said Peter Ndegwa, Chief Executive Officer, Safaricom PLC.

At the award ceremony, Safaricom’s Chief Human Resources Officer, Paul Kasimu, was also feted in the C-Suite Executives Category, which recognizes the impact of leaders who are intentional at enabling Diversity and Inclusion at their workplaces and beyond.

Over the years, Safaricom has maintained an overall gender balance of 50:50 across the organisation, and it has taken deliberate steps to grow the representation of women in senior leadership from 32% in 2018 to 40% as at March 2023. The company has also increased its percentage of employees who are persons with disabilities from 1.7% in 2018 to the current 3.0%, with a target of reaching 5% by 2025.

The National Diversity and Inclusion Awards & Recognition (DIAR Awards), currently in its 5^th edition, was instituted by the Daima Trust to recognize employers, institutions, organizations, and individuals who champion Diversity, and promote Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB), in the workplace and society.