Story audio is generated using AIVodacom has completed its acquisition of Kenya’s Safaricom after winning a major court case in that country. All conditions precedent to the transaction have now been fulfilled or waived, making the acquisition effective from June 30. In December 2025, Vodacom moved to take control of East Africa’s largest mobile operator, Safaricom, in a R36bn deal. Through the deal, the JSE-listed cellphone provider will also take control of the continent’s best-known mobile money business, M-Pesa. It adds Ethiopia, in addition to Egypt, as another high-growth potential market for the group. The transaction hit a roadblock earlier in 2026 when a Kenyan high court issued conservatory orders freezing the state’s plan to sell shares to Vodafone Kenya and Vodacom as a way to complete the deal. Certain activists said the process to sell these shares lacked public participation and undervalued the business. In a note to investors on Tuesday, Vodacom said that the Court of Appeal in Nairobi had allowed the attorney-general’s application and lifted a conservatory order related to the acquisition, thereby allowing the transaction to proceed. The main petition relating to the acquisition was heard on June 29. Until now Vodacom has held a 35% stake in the Kenyan-listed company, which contributes about 10% to its group earnings. According to the deal terms, the group was set to acquire a 15% shareholding in Safaricom from the Kenyan government and a 5% shareholding from Vodafone, increasing its stake to 55% for $2.1bn.Vodacom was to acquire 12.5% of the issued shares in Vodafone Kenya — an effective 5% stake in Safaricom — from Vodafone International Holdings for $500m, resulting in its owning 100% of Vodafone Kenya. The second part of the transaction involves Vodacom, via Vodafone Kenya, acquiring 15% of Safaricom from the Kenyan government for $1.6bn.Taking advantage of the legal win, Vodacom finalised a block trade on the board of the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), with Vodafone Kenya acquiring the 15% interest from the state on June 30. Vodacom has also completed the Vodafone International Holdings portion of the deal. The group said it plans to update the market on its medium-term targets through its upcoming trading update for the quarter ended June, expected to be published by about July 27.