Safaricom — Kenya's dominant telecom and the parent of M-Pesa — is majority-owned by Vodacom. After Vodacom moved to a 55% controlling stake by buying an additional 15% from the Government of Kenya for about US$2.1 billion (Ksh204 billion) 1, the ownership now runs Vodacom ~55%, the Government of Kenya ~20% (down from 35%), and public investors ~25% 2.
Vodacom is itself majority-owned by the UK's Vodafone — so control of Kenya's most valuable company, and of the M-Pesa rail that moves money for tens of millions, now sits with a South African operator ultimately answering to London 2.
The Kenyan state retains an important role (including a hand in appointing the chairman 2), which is why we'd score this mixed rather than a clean export: value stays partly public and on the continent, but majority control has moved. Track deals like it in Who's Buying Africa.
