Karen Basiye sits at the centre of serious questions about how Safaricom Foundation has handled hundreds of millions of shillings meant for Kenya’s poorest communities.
As Director of Sustainable Business and Social Impact at Safaricom PLC, she oversees the foundation and the related M-Pesa Foundation.
These programmes have channelled large sums into education, health and economic support projects across the country. Since 2019 alone, Safaricom Foundation reported spending Sh271 million on more than 1,400 Ndoto Zetu community projects.
Additional allocations, including about Sh170 million in 2024 and funds for medical bill support under Usamaria, show the scale of money under her watch.
The claims against her are direct. Some projects listed as completed in official reports allegedly never appeared on the ground. Procurement rules are said to have been bypassed.
Payments went to entities whose links to foundation officials remain unexplained. Critics also say certain visible projects, such as boreholes, were steered towards areas linked to politicians supporting the national government, giving the appearance that corporate funds were used to build political goodwill.
No court or the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission has found Basiye guilty of any crime. Safaricom has not released a public audit confirming theft.
Still, the absence of clear answers does not make the questions go away. The intended beneficiaries are schools short of classrooms, patients stuck in hospitals over unpaid bills, and communities without clean water.
When money meant for them cannot be traced with full transparency, the damage is real.Questions have also been raised about whether Basiye’s personal and family investments match her known salary.
Unnamed sources claim substantial foreign currency holdings and investments that appear hard to explain from employment income alone. These remain unproven claims.
They do, however, demand a proper forensic check of bank records, contractor ownership and asset growth during her time in charge.
Inside the foundation, some trustees are said to have pushed for stronger accountability while others preferred a quiet exit for Basiye through terminal leave rather than a formal investigation. Joseph Ogutu, the board chairman, reportedly raised concerns that met resistance.
Dr Githinji Gitahi, a trustee, has been linked by sources to protecting her position. None of this has been tested in a public process.
Safaricom presents itself as a company with strong governance and social values. Basiye holds a senior role in that structure.
The company benefits from the good publicity of foundation projects. Lower-level staff have faced dismissal for fraud in the past.
Allowing senior leadership to leave without a documented probe creates the impression that rank determines accountability.
The right response is clear. Safaricom must publish the full list of every project funded since 2019, with locations, budgets, contractors, completion status and the officers who approved them.
An independent forensic investigation should examine payments, beneficial ownership of suppliers, and any links to foundation staff or trustees.
Basiye must be given a fair chance to answer every specific claim. Silence, public relations statements or a quiet departure will not settle this.
The communities that were supposed to benefit deserve the truth.
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