Safaricom has once again emerged as the benchmark for customer experience in Kenya’s mobile telecommunications sector, according to a new survey comparing the country’s leading service providers—Safaricom, Airtel, Telkom Kenya, and Jamii.
The survey, which assessed customer experience across key parameters including network reliability, broadband quality, billing, complaints handling, and customer care, found that while network-related issues remain the most persistent challenge across all operators, Safaricom stands out for its superior service stability and customer support.
Safaricom recorded the highest customer care satisfaction levels in the market, with 70.6 per cent of respondents expressing satisfaction—slightly ahead of Airtel at 69.8 per cent. The operator was also cited as the industry benchmark in complaints handling, posting the highest awareness levels at 78.9 per cent and leading on ease of access to complaints channels at 80.6 per cent. These results reinforce Safaricom’s long-standing reputation for responsive customer engagement and structured service recovery processes.
In terms of network performance, Safaricom was found to have significantly fewer coverage-related complaints, at 25.7 per cent, compared to its competitors. The survey also points to stronger network stability on Safaricom’s infrastructure, a key differentiator in a market where dropped calls, congestion, and inconsistent coverage continue to frustrate users.
Overall customer satisfaction scores show that Safaricom and Airtel deliver relatively stronger experiences compared to the rest of the market, with both recording satisfaction levels of around 64 per cent. However, while Airtel leads in affordability, with 47.1 percent of respondents citing it as the most cost-effective option, it also recorded the highest levels of dissatisfaction with network performance. Airtel faced the most complaints regarding coverage at 64.8 percent and the highest incidence of call drops at 39.2 percent, highlighting the trade-off many consumers perceive between cost and service quality.
Telkom Kenya and Jamii trailed the market leaders, with the survey citing network congestion and poor responsiveness to customer issues as major weaknesses undermining user trust and satisfaction.
The findings underscore Safaricom’s continued dominance not just in market share, but in service quality and customer experience, at a time when consumers are increasingly prioritising reliability, responsiveness, and seamless connectivity over price alone.
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