By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
Safaricom Chief Financial
Services Officer Esther Masese Waititu has announced her departure from the
company after leading the expansion of M-PESA’s financial services ecosystem
over the past three years.
In a statement reflecting on
her career, Waititu said she was leaving the telecommunications operator with
pride in the progress achieved, describing M-PESA’s evolution from a leading
digital payments platform into a broader financial services ecosystem designed
to support savings, investment, insurance and business growth.
Waititu joined Safaricom
after beginning her career as an analyst at CBA Group more than two decades
ago. During her tenure as Chief Financial Services Officer, she oversaw the
rollout of several products aimed at deepening financial inclusion across Kenya.
Among the initiatives
introduced were Pochi la Biashara, which enables micro and small businesses to
separate personal and business finances, Tuunza Mapato, device insurance
products designed to protect business income, and Ziidi, an investment platform
that has attracted more than five million users by offering customers the
opportunity to earn daily interest.
She also highlighted the
launch of Ziidi Trader, developed in partnership with the Nairobi Securities
Exchange, the Capital Markets Authority, KASIB Kenya and the Central Depository
and Settlement Corporation (CDSC), enabling M-PESA customers to invest in
listed companies directly from their mobile phones.
Waititu said the
transformation was supported by significant investments in M-PESA’s underlying
technology infrastructure, including the implementation of the Fintech 2.0
platform and the launch of Daraja 3.0, which expanded access for developers to
build new digital financial services on the M-PESA ecosystem.
She noted that the
initiatives were driven by a belief that financial inclusion and commercial
success can reinforce one another, particularly by creating greater economic
opportunities for women, entrepreneurs and underserved communities.
Waititu expressed
appreciation to Safaricom Chief Executive Officer Dr. Peter Ndegwa, the
company's Board of Directors, investors, colleagues and customers for their
support throughout her tenure.
She said the foundations of
the financial services ecosystem are now firmly established and indicated that
she will announce details of her next professional role in the near future.
