Our society is, first and foremost, the Kenyan people and then the broader regional and global community in which we operate. We take pride in being a responsible corporate member of Kenyan society and remain committed to working closely with Kenyans to be a respected and empowering contributor to the social and economic landscape of the country.

We deliver value to the society within which we operate on an ongoing basis as a top Kenyan tax payer and employer, and by engaging and empowering groups and individuals throughout the country in a variety of diverse ways. The services we provide through our network enhance and transform the lives of Kenyans every day, we also sponsor a variety of cultural and sporting events, and have an active Corporate Social Investment (CSI) programme.

Along with these ongoing channels, a few of the specific ways in which we have delivered value to Kenyan society during the year include:

Supporting the Global Compact Network Kenya (GCNK)

The United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) encourages companies to benefi t the economies and societies in which they operate by committing to 10 principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. We renewed out commitment to its Local Network in Kenya during the year and seconded a full-time staff member to the GCNK offi ce.

Commissioner for the Business and Sustainable Development Commission

Our CEO, Bob Collymore, was also appointed as a Commissioner for the Business and Sustainable Development Commission (BSDC) during the year, which aims to articulate and quantify the compelling economic case for business to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

Keeping anti-corruption on the local agenda

CEO Bob Collymore also continued his work as a member of the UNGC Anti-Corruption Working Group during the year and was a speaker at the 17th Anti-Corruption Working Group Meeting & International Anti-Corruption Conference in Nairobi in December 2015. Co-hosted with the UN Global Compact Network Kenya and opened by the Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta, the event brought together over 400 high-level representatives from the private sector, government, international organisations, civil society and the media to discuss the critical role of the private sector in stemming the tide against corruption and the importance of all stakeholders — public, private and civil society — to unite against corruption.

Protecting the rights of children

Having developed and published a Children’s Rights and Business Principles Policy last year, we worked to raise awareness and integrate the policy into the various divisions within our business. We also raised awareness externally by presenting at a CEO breakfast meeting.

Protecting the safety of Kenyans

The National Security Surveillance, Communication and Control System for Nairobi and Mombasa was completed in November 2015. A partnership between Safaricom and the Government of Kenya, the state-of-the-art system has connected 195 police stations in Nairobi and Mombasa to 1,800 CCTV cameras. The system is a response to the very real, and growing, threat of terrorist attacks and we remain proud of our non-profit role in building a system that will help the National Police Service protect the safety of Kenyans and save lives in an emergency.

Putting sustainability on the leadership agenda

In March 2016, we launched the African Sustainability Leadership programme in partnership with the UN GCNK, Unilever and three world-class centers of research and teaching on business and sustainability issues, namely, the Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) at the University of Cambridge, the University of Cape Town and Strathmore University. Designed for senior executives, the programme helps decision makers change mindsets, develop innovative solutions and use sustainability to transform commercial challenges and constrains into opportunities.