Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa called on leaders to invest deliberately in the next generation, warning that failure to mentor young people will doom organisations and families alike.
Speaking on Cleaning the Airwaves (CTA) podcast, Ndegwa emphasised humility, trust, and succession as the cornerstones of sustainable leadership in Kenya.
Reflecting on his early career at East African Breweries, Ndegwa recalled watching senior managers cling to power while younger colleagues waited endlessly for opportunities.
“Some feared being replaced,” he said. “But when you block the next generation, you don’t protect the company, you suffocate it.”
That experience shaped his philosophy when he joined Safaricom. “My job is to make myself unnecessary,” he explained. “If people can run this company well without me in the room, then I’ve done it right.”
He described his approach as open-handed leadership, a style rooted in humility and trust. “You must hold power lightly,” he said. “When you grip it too tightly, you crush what you’re meant to nurture.”
For Ndegwa, mentorship is not a formal scheme but an everyday discipline. “It’s in the quiet corrections, the small encouragements, the brief conversations after a mistake,” he added.
He shared an example of a young Safaricom engineer who challenged a long-standing process only six months into the job.
“Instead of defending tradition, I told him to redesign it,” Ndegwa said. “He did and it saved time and money. Innovation is a by-product of trust.”
Beyond the corporate setting, Ndegwa sees Kenya’s youth as the country’s most valuable resource.
“Our greatest wealth isn’t land or infrastructure, it’s our young people,” he said. “But potential means nothing without guidance.”
He criticised both families and companies that neglect mentorship, arguing that schools and HR programmes cannot replace personal investment in others.
“We must teach curiosity, discipline and empathy, at home, in church, and in business,” he said. “That’s how societies sustain themselves.”
At Safaricom, he has championed initiatives connecting classroom learning to real-world innovation, including youth exposure to sustainability and digital projects.
“We can’t keep complaining about unemployment if we don’t equip young people with relevant skills,” he insisted. “It’s not charity, it’s continuity.”
He likened mentorship to a relay race, “You’re not training replacements, you’re multiplying impact. Leadership is not a seat, it’s a relay. When you pass the baton, the race doesn’t end, it expands.”
Ndegwa credited his mentors at PwC and Diageo for teaching him that “succession is the ultimate KPI.” He said they modelled respect while demanding excellence. “They corrected you with dignity. That made you want to do better.”
Humility, he believes, is the gateway to mentorship. “You can’t teach if you think you know everything,” he said. “The moment you start learning from those you lead, real growth begins.”
His meetings, he noted, resemble classrooms more than boardrooms. “I start by asking what people are reading or learning that week,” he said with a smile. “Young people bring energy, older leaders bring perspective. When you combine the two, you get momentum.”
Ndegwa also warned against idealising youth. “Energy without discipline is chaos,” he said. “Our job is to balance enthusiasm with responsibility.”
Skills, he argued, must be anchored in values. “A brilliant liar is still a liability. Character must be modelled, not just taught.”
He closed with a reflection that summed up his philosophy: “Legacy isn’t a statue or a speech, it’s competence multiplied. The best compliment a leader can receive is that things still worked when you left.”