Safaricom has confirmed that Esther Waititu, its Chief Financial Services Officer, will leave the telecommunications company at the end of July 2026 after more than three years overseeing the expansion of M-PESA’s digital financial services business.
The leadership change comes as Safaricom continues to strengthen M-PESA’s position as one of Africa’s leading fintech platforms, with the company yet to announce who will succeed Waititu following her final working day on July 31.
According to Brandspur Banking News Desk, Waititu joined Safaricom in February 2023 and led the financial services division through a period marked by rapid innovation, product expansion and continued growth in M-PESA’s contribution to the company’s business.
During her tenure, M-PESA broadened its offerings beyond mobile payments by expanding access to savings, credit, insurance and investment solutions, reinforcing its role as a comprehensive digital financial services platform for individuals and businesses.
A major milestone under her leadership was the migration of M-PESA to Safaricom’s Fintech 2.0 cloud-native architecture, an upgrade designed to improve the platform’s scalability, reliability and operational resilience as transaction volumes continued to increase.
The technology transformation also strengthened the Daraja developer ecosystem, enabling more third-party developers and enterprises to integrate digital services with M-PESA and build innovative financial solutions on the platform.
Also read: https://brandspurng.com/2026/07/21/fidelity-bank-sponsors-the-2026-young-innovators-camp/
Safaricom said Waititu’s departure follows her decision to pursue other career opportunities after helping drive the company’s strategy to deepen digital financial inclusion through technology and expanded financial products.
M-PESA remains one of Safaricom’s largest revenue-generating businesses and continues to play a central role in the company’s long-term growth strategy across Kenya and other markets where its financial services ecosystem is expanding.
The company has not disclosed who will take over the financial services portfolio or provided further details about the transition process, with additional announcements expected closer to the end of July.
Waititu’s exit also follows another significant leadership change within the M-PESA ecosystem after former M-Pesa Africa Managing Director Sitoyo Lopokoiyit departed Safaricom in March 2026 to join Absa Group as head of its personal and private banking division in Johannesburg.
The latest executive transition comes as Safaricom continues investing in digital finance infrastructure, platform innovation and ecosystem partnerships to support the next phase of M-PESA’s growth across Africa’s rapidly evolving fintech landscape.
