Kenya’s mobile subscription market experienced a significant 6.7% surge in the first three months of 2025, following near stagnation in the preceding three quarters.
The 5.38 million-strong growth, as reported by the Communications Authority (CA) from the four major operators’s data, was largely driven by Airtel.Airtel added 3.01 million active SIM cards in Q3 FY 2024/25, increasing its subscriber base from 21.52 million in Q1 and Q2 to 24.53 million in Q3.Safaricom also saw growth, adding 1.67 million subscribers, bringing its total to 48.24 million from 46.57 million.
Airtel attributes its subscriber surge, which has seen its market share grow to a record 32.2%, to ongoing expansion plans with investments in network, customer care touch points, and distribution infrastructure.
“We are committed to Kenya, and whilst we have made huge investments, our mission of enriching lives and driving progress is still not done,” Airtel Kenya Managing Director, Ashish Malhotra said during the launch of the ‘Na Bado Tunagrow’ network coverage campaign.
Malhotra further emphasized the role of their upgraded Airtel Money platform: “With the recent upgrade of our Airtel Money platform, which brings speedy, reliable, and innovative services, we are seeing more Kenyans trusting us with their financial needs and we continue to improve as we promote financial inclusion.”
Overall, the total number of mobile phones connected to Kenyan networks reached 74.9 million. This includes 42.3 million smartphones and 32.6 million feature phones. Consequently, the national mobile phone penetration rate stood at 143.0 percent, with smartphone penetration at 80.8 percent and feature phone penetration at 62.2 percent.