He said the information being circulated is misleading and does not reflect the true position of the government.
Kuria spoke on the matter while addressing fellow Members of Parliament during a retreat held in Naivasha on Thursday, January 26, 2026.
He told MPs that many Kenyans have been misled into believing that the government fully owns Safaricom and is now preparing to sell it. According to him, this is far from the truth.
The MP explained that Safaricom is not a government-owned company. Instead, it is a publicly listed company with several shareholders, both local and international.
He clarified that the government of Kenya only owns a stake in the company, not the entire business.
Kuria stated that the government’s shareholding in Safaricom stands at about 35 per cent.
This means that Kenya does not have full control of the company and therefore cannot be said to be “selling Safaricom” as some claims suggest.
He emphasized that such statements amount to misinformation and should be corrected.
“There cannot be any more lies like that or any misinformation like that,” Kuria said. “Kenya does not own Safaricom; Kenya only owns a stake in Safaricom.
Kenya is not selling Safaricom; we are only offsetting a piece of our shares, reducing our stake.”
The Finance Committee chairperson explained that reducing a stake is not the same as selling an entire company.
He noted that governments around the world regularly review their investments and may adjust their shareholding based on economic needs and priorities.
Such decisions, he added, are normal financial practices and should not be turned into political scare stories.
Kuria also warned that spreading false information about major companies like Safaricom can cause unnecessary panic among investors and the public.
Safaricom is one of the country’s largest companies and plays a key role in the economy.
Any misleading claims about its ownership or future can negatively affect market confidence.
He urged leaders and members of the public to rely on facts when discussing national assets.
According to Kuria, sensitive economic issues should be handled with honesty and responsibility to avoid misleading Kenyans.