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By Techpoint Africa
Nigeria: Airtel Kenya just crossed the 24 million subscriber mark, and for the first time, it’s adding new users faster than industry giant Safaricom. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, Airtel picked up 3.01 million new SIM subscribers, nearly double Safaricom’s 1.7 million.
That’s a 13.95% jump for Airtel, according to new numbers from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA). It’s a big milestone for a company that has long operated in Safaricom’s shadow. Safaricom, still the market leader by a wide margin, saw a 3.6% growth, bringing its total subscribers to 48.2 million.
The overall market is also growing. Kenya now has 76.2 million SIM subscriptions, up from 71.4 million at the end of 2024. That’s more SIM cards than people, but no surprise there, since many Kenyans use more than one line.Other telcos are holding their own too. Equitel ended Q1 with 1.5 million subscribers, Telkom with 1.2 million, and Jamii Telecommunications (JTL) with around 700,000. Still, Airtel’s surge is what’s turning heads.
Airtel Kenya’s MD, Ashish Malhotra, called it a moment of gratitude and determination. “This is not the destination,” he said, “it’s part of a longer journey.” He added that the company is still investing heavily in network upgrades and expansion, spurred on by pressure from regulators to boost coverage across the country.
But while Airtel’s growth is impressive, Safaricom isn’t exactly sweating yet. Its deep integration into Kenya’s mobile money economy, especially with M-Pesa, still gives it a major edge. For Airtel to truly shake the table, it’ll need more than just SIM growth. It needs serious ecosystem play.
