50 / 80
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
| SOCIETY |
REGULATORS | SHAREHOLDERS | MEDIA | CUSTOMERS | BUSINESS PARTNERS | EMPLOYEES |
50
SOCIETY
We consider our society to be, 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 acknowledge that
the society that surrounds us is an integral part of who we are and our success,
providing us with a conducive operating environment and a market for our
products and services.
We take our broader corporate role and responsibilities very seriously and
consider every Kenyan citizen to be a member of our society. As a result, the
needs and expectations of our society extend beyond those of our customers and
include: helping to promote and preserve Kenyan culture and art; safeguarding
the natural heritage of the nation and operating in an environmentally friendly
manner; partnering with government, communities, NGOs and individuals to
empower and uplift our fellow Kenyans; providing access to health, education
and financial services; as well as providing access to transformative mobile
communications solutions.
GUIDED BY THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
The integration of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into the business
has strengthened our relationship with Kenyan society during the year. The
SDGs have deepened our collective sense of purpose as a business and further
entrenched our commitment to deliver more value to society in general, as well
as to the specific communities within which we operate.
The SDGs have also helped us appreciate that lasting solutions need to be
commercially viable and based on feasible economic models if they are to be
scalable and sustainable. The integration of the SDGs has taught us to regard
sustainable development as an exciting business response to the challenges we
face as a society and not simply an exercise in Corporate Social Investment (CSI).
The SDGs now serve as a guiding compass in all that we do as a business. The
integration process has helped the Business Units link specific projects and
initiatives back to the SDGs and to consider the value being delivered to society
through their activities. The SDGs have also guided our research and investment
efforts, particularly in terms of exploring opportunities in the areas of Health,
Education and Clean Energy
(see the
Social Innovation
section on page 44 of this
report for further details on our efforts in this regard)
. The SDGs have made us a
more value and purpose-driven business.
FY17 HIGHLIGHTS
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 community events, and have an active CSI
programme through the Safaricom and the MPESA Foundations. Along with these
ongoing channels, a few of the specific ways in which we have delivered value to
Kenyan society during the year included: