Safaricom bets on regional offices in new growth plan

Listed telecom firm Safaricom has opened its first regional office as part of its strategy to increase access to its customers.

The headquarter located in Nakuru will serve the greater Rift Valley region.

This is the first of six such bases that Safaricom is setting across the country, to coordinate operations in each of the regions.

The move will see Safaricom set up regional offices in Mombasa, Nyeri and Nyanza while two splinter offices will be opened in Nairobi.

Speaking when he commissioned the Nakuru office, Safaricom Chief Executive Officer Bob Collymore said the regionalization strategy would enhance its business operations ensuring it reacts to over 24 million customers in a timelier manner.

“Safaricom remains focused on offering the best customer experience with products and services that differentiate us from competition. The expansion of our services to the regions is aimed at engaging our customers from the grassroots, which then helps us address issues faster,” Mr Collymore said.

The move is in the footsteps of utility firm Kenya Power which has for years operated regional offices given the scale of its operations.

According to Safaricom the strategy was necessitated by the fact that consumers in different parts of the country experienced different challenges, hence the need to have an office that could respond faster.

The regional headquarters are expected to be operational by March 2017.