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Peter Ndegwa

CEO, Safaricom

Search every verified Peter Ndegwa interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Peter Ndegwa, CEO of Safaricom, spoke at the company’s fourth annual Cybersecurity Summit in October 2026, where he discussed the dual role of artificial intelligence in both strengthening defenses and enabling threats such as deepfakes and automated scams. He stated that cyber is the top risk for his organization and noted that AI helps Safaricom prevent 94% of potential fraud in real time on M-Pesa, which processes 150 million transactions daily. He also emphasized that cybersecurity is a leadership responsibility and that trust is essential for customer adoption of technology. In interviews and company communications during the same period, Ndegwa discussed Safaricom’s support for Kenya’s creative economy through its “Capture the Good” campaign, which awarded top photographers and videographers, and he encouraged young people to develop digital skills and view AI as a tool that empowers rather than replaces workers. Reflecting on his tenure, which began in April 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, he described initiatives such as zero-rating M-Pesa transactions below 1,000 shillings, expanding 4G coverage and fixed broadband, and adopting an agile working model across the organization. He also spoke about leadership succession, family involvement in business, and the importance of protecting cash flow, drawing on his experience before joining Safaricom as a Diageo executive.

Recent appearances

  • Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa makes his remarks at the #CybersecuritySummit2026

    October 17, 2026 · 📺 aptantech Blog

    Safaricom hosted the fourth edition of its annual Cybersecurity Summit with AI being the key focus. The Summit convened leaders from across Kenya’s digital ecosystem to deliberate on and advance responsible AI adoption and strengthen the country’s cyber resilience.Audit Security Held under the theme “Harnessing AI, Strengthening Security,” the summit explored AI’s dual role as both a powerful defense tool and an enabler of increasingly sophisticated threats, including deepfakes, AI-generated impersonation, automated scams and ransomware. Details - https://aptantech.com/2026/10/14/safa...

    Read the verified transcript → Watch on YouTube ↗

  • How Can Kenya’s Young Creators Turn Talent Into Money?

    October 14, 2026 · 📺 Swala Nyeti

    What does it take to turn creative talent into a sustainable career? Swala Nyeti Media Founder and CEO Mac Otani sits down with Safaricom PLC CEO Peter Ndegwa to discuss Kenya’s creative economy, opportunities for young creators and how Safaricom’s Capture the Good campaign can help turn creativity into income. Watch the full interview to hear how young Kenyans can turn their ideas and talents into real opportunities.

    Read the verified transcript → Watch on YouTube ↗

  • EP 10 | Safaricom Newsroom | Peter Ndegwa Joins Safaricom | Part 3

    October 05, 2026 · 📺 Safaricom PLC

    The search for Bob Collymore's successor began shortly after his contract was extended for a year in May 2019 to compensate for the time he had spent on medical leave. Bob would pass on in July 2019, forcing his predecessor, Michael Joseph, to take the wheel for a few months. The search for the next CEO of Safaricom would eventually end with the identification of Peter Ndegwa, who was working at the time as Diageo PLC's Managing Director for Continental Europe, Russia, Middle East, and Africa, based out of Amsterdam. In this week's episode, Peter Ndegwa reflects on how he joined Safaricom a…

    Watch on YouTube ↗

  • Safaricom Newsroom | Customer Service Week | Peter Ndegwa shares what customer obsession looks like

    October 05, 2026 · 📺 Safaricom PLC

    At Safaricom, going the extra mile is about consistently looking at how we can make our customers lives easier, anticipating your needs and keeping customers at the heart of everything that we do. As we mark Customer Experience Month, our CEO Peter Ndegwa shares what customer obsession looks like in practice at Safaricom. Whether it is using technology to keep you safe from fraud or taking in your feedback to improve how we serve you, our priority remains putting you first. Thank you to all our staff and frontline teams for showing up and going the extra mile for our customers.

    Watch on YouTube ↗

  • THE MONEY RULES PETER NDEGWA LIVES BY | SAFARICOM CEO ON FAMILY, BUSINESS & PROTECTING CASH

    September 24, 2026 · 📺 No One Tells You This

    What does one of Kenya’s top business leaders believe about money, family and protecting what you’ve worked so hard to build? In this powerful conversation, Safaricom Group CEO Peter Ndegwa opens up about the principles behind managing money, involving family in business, protecting your cash and making sure wealth doesn’t become a source of conflict. We go beyond business and talk about the lessons that matter whether you're running a multinational company, a family business or simply trying to build a better financial future. 💰 Money & wealth 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family and business 🏢 Building and pro…

    Read the verified transcript → Watch on YouTube ↗

  • EP 10 | Safaricom Newsroom | Peter Ndegwa Joins Safaricom | Full Episode

    September 22, 2026 · 📺 Safaricom PLC

    The search for Bob Collymore's successor began shortly after his contract was extended for a year in May 2019 to compensate for the time he had spent on medical leave. Bob would pass on in July 2019, forcing his predecessor, Michael Joseph, to take the wheel for a few months. The search for the next CEO of Safaricom would eventually end with the identification of Peter Ndegwa, who was working at the time as Diageo PLC's Managing Director for Continental Europe, Russia, Middle East, and Africa, based out of Amsterdam. In this week's episode, Peter Ndegwa reflects on how he joined Safaricom…

    Read the verified transcript → Watch on YouTube ↗

  • EP 10 | Safaricom Newsroom | Peter Ndegwa Joins Safaricom | Part 1

    September 21, 2026 · 📺 Safaricom PLC

    The search for Bob Collymore's successor began shortly after his contract was extended for a year in May 2019 to compensate for the time he had spent on medical leave. Bob would pass on in July 2019, forcing his predecessor, Michael Joseph, to take the wheel for a few months. The search for the next CEO of Safaricom would eventually end with the identification of Peter Ndegwa, who was working at the time as Diageo PLC's Managing Director for Continental Europe, Russia, Middle East, and Africa, based out of Amsterdam. In this week's episode, Peter Ndegwa reflects on how he joined Safaricom…

    Read the verified transcript → Watch on YouTube ↗

  • EP 10 | Safaricom Newsroom | Peter Ndegwa Joins Safaricom | Part 2

    September 21, 2026 · 📺 Safaricom PLC

    The search for Bob Collymore's successor began shortly after his contract was extended for a year in May 2019 to compensate for the time he had spent on medical leave. Bob would pass on in July 2019, forcing his predecessor, Michael Joseph, to take the wheel for a few months. The search for the next CEO of Safaricom would eventually end with the identification of Peter Ndegwa, who was working at the time as Diageo PLC's Managing Director for Continental Europe, Russia, Middle East, and Africa, based out of Amsterdam. In this week's episode, Peter Ndegwa reflects on how he joined Safaricom…

    Watch on YouTube ↗

  • Peter Ndegwa: The two things that worry me

    June 04, 2026 · 📺 Safaricom PLC

    The threat of disruption, where smaller companies erode the market share of the competition by catering to the needs of underserved customers, has been evident in the fibre business, where smaller, more agile companies have emerged as competitors.

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  • Safaricom Newsroom | Peter Ndegwa: Our bet on Ethiopia has paid off

    May 26, 2026 · 📺 Safaricom PLC

    The decision by Safaricom to bid for the telecommunication operating licence to become Ethiopia’s second telecommunications operator was based on the fact that Africa’s second biggest country by population had only experienced one mobile phone services provider. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LEARN MORE ABOUT SAFARICOM --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Safaricom Website: https://www.safaricom.co.ke/ ----------------------------------------------…

    Watch on YouTube ↗

  • Safaricom Full Year 2026 Results Announcement. #SafaricomFYResults

    May 07, 2026 · 📺 Safaricom PLC

    Join us for the Safaricom Full Year 2026 Results Announcement. This session will offer a comprehensive overview of our financial performance and strategic progress over the past year, highlighting our continued commitment to innovation and our purpose of transforming lives. As we reflect on the milestones achieved during this financial period, our leadership team will share detailed insights into the growth of our digital ecosystem and our vision for the future of the telecommunications and financial services landscape. #SafaricomFYResults

    Watch on YouTube ↗

  • Safaricom Hit $3B Revenue in 2025 Key Growth Areas Explained by CEO Peter Ndegwa

    April 23, 2026 · 📺 ABOJANI INVESTMENT

    In FY2025, Safaricom crossed a historic milestone—surpassing the $3 billion revenue mark for the first time in East Africa, delivering 11% top-line growth, including early-stage investments and start-up losses in Ethiopia. In this video, Dr. Peter Ndegwa breaks down the key growth areas that powered this achievement and what it means for the future of the business. From the continued dominance of M-PESA as a financial services engine, to the rapid growth in mobile data usage and expansion into new markets, Safaricom’s FY2025 performance reflects a clear shift toward a technology-driven ecosy…

    Watch on YouTube ↗

Notable quotes

“Today it on M-Pesa we process 150 million transactions a day. Yeah. There's no way we can be able to anticipate and and actually secure those customers without without AI. But by using automated uh by using AI we are able to actually prevent in real times in real time 94% of any fraud that is about to happen by classifying by learning about customer behavior by learning patterns about where the risk is coming from an”

“The top risk is cyber. And has been cyber for as long as I've been CEO in this in this business. So, and I'm sure it's very similar to a lot of organizations that are represented here. Um and then we talked about the issues that we deal with as far as cyber is concerned. Uh so so that is uh one of the big one of the big reasons why we are here today. The second reason why we are here today is because of AI. I've been”

“So those three things: power, passion and purpose, serving and serving society, second, succession, and then third, being able to control business because business is about cash. If you don't actually protect the cash you have, it doesn't matter how much sales you have, you'll always lose money. So, I loved the fact when everywhere we went, we were told here is how we control this business.”

“So, when you introduce a new things, people don't like it. Yeah? Uh think about it. This is a successful business. Leading business. Why changing it? Yeah? In fact, some media people asked me, 'Why do you want to change anything?' Employees asked me, 'What is this change you want to make?' Agile was where I had a lot of difficulty. So, first of all, some of the board members told me, 'This is What is this?' Including”

“I think what what allowed me to actually get into the business quite quickly was that because of the crisis Safaricom started to play a big role. For example, we set up the zero rating of transactions on M-Pesa below 1,000. Many people don't know in this country we set up a call center. The Ministry of Health was desperate. Uh how do you communicate with the country? They didn't have a call center, so we set up a cal”

The summary and quote tags on this profile are produced with AI assistance from verified, first-person interview transcripts, then checked by our team to confirm the speaker's identity and the accuracy of every quote. See how we verify →