Peter Ndegwa

Dr. Peter Ndegwa (CBS) is the Chief Executive Officer of Safaricom Group PLC, a $2.5 Billion business, the leading technology company in Africa and the pioneer of M-PESA, the world’s most advanced mobile payment system. With a customer base of over 53 million, Safaricom operates as Safaricom PLC in Kenya and Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia PLC in Ethiopia and is recognized as the top employer in both countries and Africa. 

A champion of  sustainability and social impact, Dr Ndegwa has demonstrated passion and commitment to driving purpose and being the biggest supporter of communities. He holds the position of Founder of Safaricom Foundation and is a trustee of M-PESA Foundation, where he has personally championed and launched big social impact programmes in health, education and economic empowerment such as Ndoto Zetu, Citizens Of The Future, and taking healthcare services closer to the people through free medical camps. 

He has over 30 years of leadership experience across Telecommunications, Financial Services, and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sectors in Africa and Europe. His expertise spans Telecommunications, General Management, Commercial, Strategy, and Finance Operations, making him a transformational leader driving innovation and sustainable growth in the digital economy. Under his leadership Safaricom is transitioning from a telecommunications to a technology company. 

In 2024 it became the first company to surpass one billion dollars in earnings (EBIT) in the region and has grown to become one of Kenya’s biggest brands and strongest supporter of the society. Amongst his key achievements, Dr. Ndegwa led Safaricom PLC in collaboration with other global partners to set up Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia PLC which was awarded a license to operate in April 2021. As of December 31st 2024, Safaricom Ethiopia covered over 48.5% of the Ethiopian population with over 7.1 million customers acquired on the Safaricom network, and 1.4 million customers on M-PESA.