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Safaricom Sustainability Report 2016
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SOCIETY
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.
How did we deliver value to them during the year?
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 benefit 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 office.
•
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 17
th
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.