Safaricom, Kenya’s largest telecommunications company, has appointed Sylvia Anampiu as the new Director of Fixed Business. This decision, made on January 16, 2026, comes as the company plans a major strategy shift: offering home internet in smaller, more affordable packages.
Anampiu will lead a division that Safaricom considers crucial to future growth. While mobile data services like M-PESA and 5G have nearly reached their customer limits, the home internet market still has significant potential. Many Kenyan households struggle with the standard monthly billing model, which does not meet their needs.
Her main task is to adapt the “Kadogo Economy,” which allows for small payments that helped Safaricom thrive in mobile, to fibre internet services.
Sylvia Anampiu has a strong background for this role. She previously worked at MTN Business Kenya (Bayobab) as Managing Director. She has also held leadership positions at Airtel Africa and Orange Kenya. Anampiu understands both the technical and business sides of internet services.
Her hiring shows that Safaricom views Fixed Data (Home Fibre) as important for many people, not just a luxury for a few wealthy neighbourhoods. They are preparing for broader adoption.
Why “Director of Fixed Business”?
You may wonder why this job title is important. To understand this, we need to look at how Safaricom makes money. The company currently relies on two main areas:
- Mobile Data: This is the main source of income. Millions of Kenyans buy data bundles every day.
- Fixed Data: This is an internet service delivered via cable (Fibre) to homes and offices.
Even though Safaricom leads the market, it has only about 400,000 to 500,000 fixed fibre customers. This is a small number compared to millions of mobile users. The “Director of Fixed Business” is in charge of increasing this number, turning those 400,000 homes into 4 million.
The “Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) Fibre” is the key part of this strategy. Until now, to have fibre internet meant paying a monthly bill of about Ksh 3,000. If you couldn’t pay by the 1st of the month, your service was cut off. This model doesn’t suit everyone, especially those with variable incomes, like small traders or gig workers.
Under Anampiu’s leadership, Safaricom is introducing Tokenised Wi-Fi. Instead of a long-term contract, customers can buy fibre access for 24 hours, 3 days, or a week. This makes it much easier for people to access high-speed fibre internet. Households can access the internet only on days they can afford it or when they really need it, such as for a football match or a school project.
Why This Matters
Safaricom is moving quickly because it faces competition. Elon Musk’s Starlink has launched satellite internet in Kenya, offering high speeds without cables. Airtel and other rivals are promoting 5G routers that don’t need technician installation. By hiring Anampiu, Safaricom shows it wants to win the “Living Room War.” The goal is to make fibre internet as easy to access as airtime.
This hiring is more than just an announcement; it reflects a new business approach. Safaricom recognises that future growth isn’t only about connecting more phones. It’s also about connecting more homes. To succeed, they need to stop selling internet like a utility bill and start offering it as a product in small, affordable packages.
By appointing a heavyweight like Anampiu, Safaricom is signalling its intent to win the “Living Room War” by making fibre as flexible and accessible as airtime.
