Driving Growth: Safaricom Welcomes Back Two Seasoned Leaders

Effective 9th June 2025

Safaricom is pleased to announce new appointments within the Financial Services Cluster to support  mission, strengthen its progress, and deliver continued growth.

Victor Ngumo has been named , reporting to the Chief Financial Services Officer. He will lead our Merchant and Agent strategy and drive revenue growth through the effective management of agent, dealer, and merchant channels.

Victor brings over 20 years of commercial leadership experience in Telecoms, Financial Services, Consumer and Business Marketing, and Commercial Strategy.

He rejoins Safaricom after a successful 17-year career with us from 2005 to 2022. He left to collaborate with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to expand Digital Financial Services across Africa. Most recently, Victor served as Director of Sales & Distribution at Airtel Africa – Kenya.

At Safaricom, he held key leadership roles, including Head of Terminals, Regional Business, and SME Segments. He was also a founding member of the M-PESA team and helped launch several innovative products.

Victor holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Marketing from Daystar University and a Chartered Marketing Diploma from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (UK). He also completed the Senior Management Leadership Program at Strathmore Business School.

Arthur Gichuru has been appointed , also reporting to the Chief Financial Services Officer. He will lead the development, positioning, and commercialization of our payment products, helping scale the M-PESA value proposition.

Arthur is a fintech expert with more than 20 years of experience in banking, payments, digital lending, and mobile money. He joins us from Diamond Trust Bank, where he served as Chief Manager – Retail Digital Banking, leading mobile and internet banking as well as digital lending.

Previously, Arthur worked at LOOP DFS (NCBA Bank’s digital arm) as Chief Product Officer and Chief Commercial Officer. He played a vital role in launching nano savings and credit products such as M-Shwari and Fuliza, in partnership with Safaricom.

He also worked with us at Safaricom from 2014 to 2016 as a Senior Manager in the Financial Services Cluster, contributing to M-PESA’s strategic growth.

Arthur holds a Bachelor of Arts from Kenyatta University and is pursuing an MSc in Blockchain & Digital Currency at the University of Nicosia. He also holds certifications in digital marketing, product growth, and monetization strategies.

Victor Odada, who has served as since September 2023, is exploring a new opportunity within Financial Services. We will communicate further once these discussions are finalized.