Faces of Safaricom: Patrick Mburu’s 17-Year Journey Connecting Customers

Over the years, Patrick has transitioned from trade to channel development, Customer Value Management (CVM) and Partner Management.

When Patrick Mburu looks back on his 17-year journey with Safaricom, it reads like the story of Kenya’s own transformation.

Today, he serves as Regional Business Lead for the Mountain Region, a vast area that stretches from Thika through Upper Eastern to Mandera. But his beginnings were far more modest.

Who is Patrick Mburu in a nutshell?

If you strip away the title, I am someone who loves solving problems, building teams, and seeing people’s lives transformed through what we do at Safaricom. In simple terms, I help keep millions of Kenyans connected every day.

Do you remember your very first connection to Safaricom?

Oh yes! My first phone wasn’t even bought. In 2003, a friend gave it to me as part of payment for a job. He also sold SIM cards, so I got my first Safaricom line from him. No queues, no drama, just like that, I was connected.

And how did your Safaricom journey begin?

I joined the telco in December 2008 in the Networks department, covering South Coast and Tsavo. Back then, coverage was patchy. I’d climb hills with my Nokia E71 just to send coordinates to engineers so they could figure out where to put the next site. It was real “boots on the ground” work.

What stands out for you about those early years?

The community projects. In South Coast, the biggest issue wasn’t even the network, it was water. Safaricom dug boreholes in villages where people used to walk long distances to fetch water. That created such goodwill. People saw us not just as a telco, but as a partner in their lives.

We also worked closely with local development authorities, joining them in different villages and wards. At the same time, we were making SIM cards and airtime more accessible.

I personally sold SIM cards in those days, often tagging along with dealers who moved from market to market in vans. It was grassroots work, but that’s how we built a community of customers and grew the Safaricom ecosystem.

You’ve worked in very different regions over the years. Did each area have its own challenges?

Absolutely. For example, when I was an Area Manager in Nairobi West and South, the challenges there were very different from the rural markets. In Nairobi, the network was good, so the issue wasn’t coverage; it was visibility and availability of our products.

I remember places like Gatina in Kawangware, which was then a tough, informal settlement. Dealers were afraid to operate there because of gangs, and we had very limited visibility. We launched a campaign we called “Toa Kutu” basically meaning “remove the rust.” We branded shops, put up posters, and eventually convinced a dealer, Concord, to open a shop there. That shop is still running today.

In rural areas like Magadi, it was the opposite. The challenge wasn’t visibility but access. I remember driving through Lake Magadi to get to Entosopia. When our car broke down along the way, we slept over in Magadi. We were literally putting SIM cards in people’s hands for the first time, and in the end, those trips were worth it.

After that, what role did you move into?

Oh, there are so many. Over time, I’ve transitioned into retail, moving from trade to channel development, Customer Value Management (CVM) and Partner Management.

At that time, Safaricom was shifting from 2G to 3G, and my role was to make 3G devices more accessible. Most people still had 2G phones, but we needed to push data adoption. We worked with manufacturers like Samsung, Alcatel, and later Tecno, to negotiate affordable device prices.

We also came up with creative propositions, like allowing customers to pay partly with Bonga Points and partly in cash. That made smartphones more affordable, and within about 15 months, we flipped device sales from 70% being 2G to 70% being 3G and smartphones. That period really laid the foundation for Kenya’s digital leap.

Do you recall any memorable campaigns from that time?

Two stand out first, our attempts to stimulate low-value or dormant customers. We tried many approaches, from seeding minutes to tweaking offers, and slowly saw customers start to use the network more. The lesson from that period was clear: you can’t stop acquiring new customers even while managing your base. If you stop gaining, you start dying.

The second was the big campaigns like “Bonyeza Ushinde” and “Tetemesha.” These drove massive engagement. Every day, people won airtime and cash, and there were also grand prize winners. One of them took home KES 15 million. The excitement and attention those campaigns created were unforgettable.

You later moved into Partner Management. What was that like?

When I joined, the dealer channel was struggling—many dealers had divested, we experienced stock-outs worth approximately KES 1 Billion monthly, and there were very few motorbikes or vans available for distribution.

Dealership and distribution is very capital-intensive, so first, you needed someone with capital. But money wasn’t enough. We also needed someone who understood the people and the localities they were going to serve, someone ready to invest in tools and infrastructure.

There’s also something you can’t quantify, commitment. We used to say we wanted “hungry dealers,” people hungry for business. Those are the ones who gave their best to the channel. Many of the dealers we brought on board were exactly that, hungry and determined.

But how did you manage to hack distribution?

Our distribution model was unique. Very few companies in the world use this approach. We called it free for all, meaning a dealer had no fixed territory; they could distribute anywhere. That model was extremely useful in the early days because it ensured every corner of the country was covered. Of course, later it brought challenges, such as price undercutting and malpractice, but initially, it was critical for growth.

It was tough at first, but eventually, investment surged. Dealers added thousands of new agents, vans, and shops. Within three years, we acquired about a million new customers every month, and stock-outs dropped dramatically. It showed me the power of partnership and discipline in turning things around.

You later took on an international assignment. What was that like?

In 2021, Safaricom and its partners won the license to operate in Ethiopia. I was selected to join the pioneer team and became Executive Head of Distribution and Capability. My job was to design and roll out the distribution model, select and onboard distributors, and build the sales team. With 130 million people, the scale was massive, and the responsibility huge.

By the end of the first year, we had nearly 4 million customers, and today the business has already surpassed 10 million. Seeing our first customer in Dire Dawa queue for a Safaricom SIM was one of the most memorable moments of my career.

What’s been your proudest moment so far?

Honestly, it’s seeing the impact we’ve had on ordinary people. Whether it’s a farmer in Thika accessing M-PESA with ease, or a family in Ethiopia connecting for the first time, it reminds me why we do this.

And outside work, who is Patrick?

(Laughs) A family man, first of all. I also enjoy hiking, it keeps me grounded. Kenya’s landscapes have a way of reminding you that there’s more to life than boardrooms and KPIs.

Could you describe Safaricom in one word?

Transformational. Not just for customers, but also for me personally. Collectively, Safaricom has gone from being a voice company to an enabler of financial inclusion and digital lifestyles. And the journey isn’t over. Just like it keeps evolving, so do we.

By Safaricom