Ruto leaves for Ethiopia to launch Safaricom

President William Ruto has left the country for Ethiopia where he will preside over the launch of Safaricom in the country. 

A brief from State House said Ruto will preside over the launch of the Teclo together with his host, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. 

The leaders will hold bilateral talks in Addis Ababa ahead of the event.

In July this year, Safaricom announced that it will start commercial services in Ethiopia.

The company, part of the Vodafone group, has been under mounting pressure over its failure to meet previous launch deadline in April 2022.

The phased commercial launch will commence in October, culminating in the switching on of Safaricom network in 25 cities across Ethiopia by April 2023.

Since the granting of the licence in July 2021, Safaricom has invested in its network and infrastructure, including its own mobile radio towers, national transmission network, and wholesale agreements for international connectivity.