Kenya's Safaricom Sued Over Alleged Intellectual Property Breach

The country's largest mobile operator Safaricom has failed to stop the hearing of the infringement of intellectual property case which could cost them millions of U.S. dollars.

Peter Nthei Muoki and Beluga Ltd said the product Safaricom planned to roll out is similar to an idea they shared with the top communications firm's officials in 2021.

Muoki said he approached Safaricom in March 2021 to discuss his idea, but after a meeting, he was told that it would be difficult to implement the product since it would target teenagers without identification cards, a move that would need approval from the Central Bank of Kenya.

Muoki said he was shocked to see Safaricom conducting a test run of a product that is a copy and paste of his innovation - but under a different name - a few months after their meeting.

In a new development,Safaricom, will be developing a partnership with U.S. telcos giant Apple Inc. to integrate MPESA and its Paypal platform.

MPESA now operates in seven countries, serving over 51 million customers. Other Safaricom global partnerships include AliExpress and Western Union, which enable customers to receive and send money globally.