Safaricom, a leading telecommunications company in Kenya, has partnered with the Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE) to engage customers with disabilities on barriers they face when accessing mobile, digital, and customer-care services. The two-day program, held on September 24 and 25, brought together Safaricom teams and persons with disabilities to discuss how its products and services can become more accessible. This initiative aims to provide customers with disabilities an opportunity to directly explain challenges they encounter when using Safaricom's services.
The engagement began at KISE, where Safaricom's customer care team set up a dedicated desk to allow customers to seek assistance, raise concerns, and share experiences using the company's services. The program then moved to the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), where Safaricom and other stakeholders discussed broader approaches to improving accessibility and inclusion across products and services. This move demonstrates Safaricom's commitment to creating a more inclusive environment for its customers with disabilities.
The partnership between Safaricom and KISE comes as more customers increasingly interact with service providers through digital platforms. For Safaricom, this includes platforms such as the MyOne App, making accessibility an increasingly important consideration as more customer interactions move online. The company recognizes that feedback from customers with disabilities can help identify difficulties they experience when navigating digital platforms, accessing customer support, or using its products.
Safaricom's inclusion efforts extend beyond its customer base, with the company highlighting initiatives aimed at creating opportunities for employees with disabilities. The company has established a Diversity and Inclusion chapter to coordinate disability-related matters within the organization. Additionally, Safaricom has incorporated inclusive communication practices, including sign-language interpretation and closed captioning, into some of its workplace engagements.
The company has also launched several programs to support employees with disabilities, including the IT Bridge Academy, which provided young people with disabilities opportunities to develop technology skills and gain workplace experience. In 2024, Safaricom launched a pilot technology re-skilling program targeting young persons with disabilities, offering training in software engineering alongside career mentorship and coaching. These initiatives demonstrate Safaricom's commitment to creating a more inclusive workplace.
The engagement at KISE provided an avenue for customers to raise concerns directly with Safaricom's customer care team. The company said the feedback would help inform its efforts to improve its digital platforms and customer experience. The discussions reflect a wider challenge facing Kenya's digital economy: ensuring that technological advancement does not leave people with different accessibility needs behind.
The two-day program concluded at KICC, where Safaricom and other stakeholders and industry players met to discuss strategies and opportunities for advancing accessibility and inclusion across products and services. The stakeholder engagement broadened the conversation beyond Safaricom's own services, with participants considering the role that businesses, institutions, technology companies, and the disability community can play in building a more inclusive digital environment.
Key points
- Safaricom partners with KISE to improve accessibility and inclusion for customers with disabilities
- The partnership aims to provide customers with disabilities an opportunity to directly explain challenges they encounter when using Safaricom's services
- Safaricom's inclusion efforts extend beyond its customer base to create opportunities for employees with disabilities
