Kenya’s leading telecom operator, Safaricom, has halted its advertising on Nation Media Group (NMG) platforms following critical stories about the company.
The decision affects NMG’s major publications, including the Daily Nation, Business Daily, and The East African, which recently published reports scrutinizing Safaricom’s involvement in a healthcare contract with links to Indian billionaire Gautam Adani and highlighting the close ties between Safaricom’s chairman and President William Ruto.
A key factor in the advertising suspension is an October 29, 2024, investigative report by the Daily Nation, which alleged that Safaricom shared user data without proper consent, a claim the company has denied. In response, Safaricom placed ads in rival publications, The Standard and The Star, reaffirming its commitment to customer privacy during its 24th-anniversary celebrations.
For the first time since going public in 2008, Safaricom also withheld its half-year financial reports from NMG publications, choosing instead to publish them in The Standard and The Star to meet regulatory obligations. This move underscores Safaricom’s influence in Kenya’s media industry, as companies increasingly withhold ads in response to unfavorable coverage.
Safaricom, which reportedly spends $4.8 million monthly on ads, is not new to this tactic but had previously published financial statements in NMG papers despite disagreements. However, recent meetings between Safaricom officials and newsroom editors indicate heightened efforts to control media narratives around the company.
NMG’s troubles extend to its Tanzanian operations, where its subsidiary, Mwananchi Communications, faced a suspension by the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority over an ad critical of President Samia Suluhu. These challenges come amid declining ad revenues and rising digital competition, compounding NMG’s financial difficulties.