Safaricom has moved swiftly to counter the recent onslaught on its turf by Airtel Kenya and the highly entrepreneurial minds who saw the rise in demand for affordable data rates and introduced what we fondly refer to as bundles mwitu. This was bound to happen. It was just a matter of when.
Starting today, you will enjoy relatively cheaper rates when subscribing to the various data bundles that Safaricom offers its customers. It is not just data that is affected. The daily and weekly bundles will also include SMS. This has been in place for daily bundle subscriptions of up to Ksh 20 but it now expands to cover upto Ksh 100. Then it gets better: there is a power bundle! It’s called Night Internet Bundle. For just Ksh 300 Safaricom subscribers can enjoy 1 GB of data during off-peak hours. However, the best deal out of all this is what some of us have always loved: night shift data. For every data bundle you purchase, you get a similar amount of data for use between 10pm and 6am.
Here are the new rates:
| DAILY BUNDLES | OFF-PEAK (10pm-6am) | SMS | Price | Price per mb |
| 5MB | 5MB | 5SMS | 5 | 1.00 |
| 12MB | 12MB | 12SMS | 10 | 0.83 |
| 25MB | 25MB | 25SMS | 20 | 0.80 |
| 50MB | 50MB | 50SMS | 30 | 0.60 |
| 100MB | 100MB | 100SMS | 40 | 0.40 |
| WEEKLY BUNDLES | OFF-PEAK (10pm-6am) | SMS | Price | Price per mb |
| 4MB | 4MB | – | 5 | 1.25 |
| 10MB | 10MB | – | 10 | 1.00 |
| 30MB | 30MB | – | 25 | 0.83 |
| 65MB | 65MB | – | 50 | 0.77 |
| MONTHLY BUNDLES | OFF-PEAK (10pm-6am) | SMS | Price | Price per mb |
| 100MB | 100MB | – | 100 | 1.00 |
| 300MB | 300MB | – | 250 | 0.83 |
| 650MB | 650MB | – | 500 | 0.77 |
| 2GB | 2GB | – | 1000 | 0.49 |
| 5GB | 5GB | – | 2000 | 0.39 |
| 10GB | 10GB | – | 3000 | 0.29 |
| 25GB | 25GB | – | 5750 | 0.22 |
| 50GB | 50GB | – | 6750 | 0.13 |
| POWER BUNDLE – (OFF-PEAK – 10PM – 6AM) | ||||
| 1GB | – | 300 | 0.29 | |
As you will note, the 1.5 and 3 GB bundles have been scrapped in favour of the very cheap 2, 5 and 10 GB bundles. For Ksh 1,000 you get 2GB data and an additional 2 GB night shift data. Previously, that only got you 1.5 GB + 750 MB night shift data.
Dial *544# and enjoy the new daily, weekly and monthly bundles.
Also note that previously, night shift data was usable between 10pm and 10am. Now it’s upto 6am.
This information can also be found on the Safaricom website.
Not yet apppealing.
This just gets a solid meh from me. Just get Twin SIM phones and load Airtel or Orange data. Its way cheaper and reliable.
Based on my own experience, Safaricom’s network is the strongest across the entire country. If you’re just in Nairobi all the time then you could have the pleasure of switching to other networks without losing much. However, if you travel throughout the country like I do or live away from the city, Safaricom is all you have. It’s 3G internet is very reliable. Can’t say the same for Airtel and Orange. I have two Orange modems. They hardly serve any purpose. I bought an Airtel line last week so as to test Unliminet. You can check my Twitter feed for what I’ve gone through. While the others may have better rates, they need to guarantee reliability. For Safaricom subscribers, this is good news. I am sure it will get better with time.
True Safaricom is the only consistent 3G provider countrywide. I have had many bad experiences with Airtel and so not their biggest fan. I would have thought leveraging on their EVDO network that Orange would have turned the tables but as usual they don know what they are sitting on. Must be a French thing.
Agreed Mark! I was SHOCKED when they shut down their EVDO network and moved everyone over to 3G/HSDPA. EVDO was able to reach areas with lots of trees that 3G signals couldn’t penetrate well, so I know it’s superior.
Airtel and Orange should be ASHAMED of their broadband data offerings. They are so far behind Safaricom that it isn’t even funny.
Well Safaricom have a speed of 128kbps which translates to speeds of below 30kpbs in real time use (very slow INTERNET)… i’d rather stick to the orange weekly unlimited at 990/ it is faster and reliable.
128 kbps? Where did you get that from? Yes their network is not saintly, I also had very many issues when I was staying in some parts of Nairobi. But 30-128 kbps? Eh!
It is true, their 3G works upcountry so well. But if you are a heavy internet user, Orange’s CDMA is the way to go.
On the other hand, Safaricom net sucks when you are in the city. I have trouble using internet from home, work or commuting on Safaricom. I also experience this when am in Mombasa.
We all have varied experiences. I bought Orange’s CDMA modem back in 2013 when they had that offer whereby you paid Ksh 5,000 and got the modem plus 4 GB data. I suffered while trying to beat the 30-day period before the 4 GB expired. I’ve never used that modem again. I’m in Mombasa and Safaricom coverage is just fine. Just that speeds flactuate moreso during peak hours.
Before making any purchases especially when it comes to DATA, get somone who has the device and test the network. YU Mobile taught me best. They had all sorts of fancy offer of no value
They are replacing the CDMA with GSM now so maybe that bandwidth will come in handy.
True dat, Emmanuel! Safaricom’s 3G network is fast and reliable! It keeps getting better and better!
safaricom already lost battle….nani hutumia net 3.00am???????
This is still crap and just a simple play at maths. When you scrap the 1.5GB bundle at 1K and introduce a 1GB bundle at 750 bob you are simply targeting fools who wont see that there is no difference.
Sorry, we got that wrong. There’s no 1 GB bundle other than the power bundle. In place of that there’s a 2GB bundle + 2 GB night shift at the same price (Ksh 1000).
Who browses at night?
LOL! Watchmen have Whatsapp groups bana
I am nocturnal and I do most of my work at night. I am also sure Chenze does some writing at night. 🙂
This is hilarious
Am I the one understanding wrongly or the above rates are only applicable between !0pm and 6am?
That’s for the night shift bundles, the rest are open bundles and even without considering the night bundles, the prices have gone down.
Wait, this is not the same person? 🙂
Was also surprised when I saw a Gicheru, thought people might think it’s me.
Safaricom has hit data resellers hard again by massively reducing the maximum amount of data bundles you can transfer to other lines from 900mb to 10mb.Check out here http://biasharapoint.com/blog/safaricom-internet-bundles-resellers-hit-hard-by-new-move/
In that case Safaricom should now that there is no use left for bundle transfer in that case.
Yes, it’s cheaper now. However, the Off-Peak time has moved from 10Pm-10Am to 10Pm-6AM. I can hardly use it in the morning then. :’-(
Haha also, I don’t think Safaricom can put back their unlimited plan again after their past experiences. :’-D
Guys are asking who uses the internet at night? Some of us sleep at 4 so I enjoy the night shift bundles, however the time had been reduced from 10 to 6, which is a big let down.
[…] from Tom Makau. It was originally published on his blog here. Background: Safaricom announced new data bundle rates that had mixed reactions, positive in that they were far cheaper than what had been before, […]