Absa Raids Safaricom Again, Poaches M-PESA Executive

Yusuf announced her departure in a LinkedIn post on Wednesday, October 28, ending a career at Safaricom that began in July 2007, when she joined the telecommunications company as a retail centre agent in Mombasa.

Her move comes months after Absa appointed former M-PESA Africa chief executive Sitoyo Lopokoiyit to lead its Personal and Private Banking business across the group’s markets, bringing a senior mobile money executive into the bank’s leadership team.

“Nineteen years and 3months ago, I walked into Safaricom as a retail Centre agent. Today I walked away with experience, friendships and lessons that have shaped both my career and who I am,” she said.

“Over the years, I had the privilege of working across multiple functions, including HR, special projects (deploying the CCTV cameras across Mombasa with the national police) and ultimately M-Pesa from a digital product lens, where I spent some of the most rewarding years of my career.

Yusuf joins Absa as financial institutions expand digital payment services and compete for customers in an increasingly technology-driven financial services market.

Yusuf began her career at Safaricom in July 2007 as a retail centre agent, a position she held for six months before becoming a senior retail agent in Mombasa.

In her early roles, she handled customer service, sales, payment transactions and retail operations. She also helped recruit retailers and increase regional sales.

According to her LinkedIn profile, she sold phones worth more than KSh 1 million in a single month and was named Sales Person of the Month for recording the highest sales figures.

She later moved into retail support, spending more than five years handling customer complaints, service activations, staff training and operational procedures.

Between March 2015 and September 2017, Yusuf worked in the human resources department as a Learning and Development Officer. She also participated in the Safe City Project, which involved deploying CCTV cameras across Mombasa in collaboration with the National Police Service.

Her career later shifted to digital financial services, where she took on product management roles within M-PESA.

Also Read: Absa Bank Kenya Formally Appoints New CEO

Yusuf joined the M-PESA product team as a product manager in September 2017, focusing on merchant payments.

She later worked on financial services products and credit integration, including the development of credit strategies, before becoming Senior Product Manager for Universal Payments in March 2023.

In April 2024, she took up the role of Executive Head of Global Payments at M-PESA Africa, before moving to head business payments in April 2025.

Her work focused on product strategy and payments, including collaborating with colleagues and partners across Africa to expand international and global payment services.

In her LinkedIn farewell message, Yusuf said her time at Safaricom gave her experience, friendships, and lessons that shaped both her career and personal life.

She also highlighted her involvement in the SMTSL board and the work she undertook with teams across Africa to expand global and international payments.

“Some of my proudest moments include serving on the SMTSL board and working with colleagues and partners across Africa to expand global and international payments,” she added.

“To everyone who has been part of this journey, thank you. The impact we’ve created together will always remain one of the highlights of my personal life. The next chapter begins, and I’m excited for what Lies ahead.”

Yusuf said she was excited about the next chapter of her career but did not provide further details about her plans.

Also Read: Absa Poaches NCBA Digital Banking Boss

Yusuf’s appointment follows Absa’s recruitment of Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, who previously served as chief executive of M-PESA Africa.

In February 2026, Absa announced that Lopokoiyit would join the group as Chief Executive of Personal and Private Banking, effective April 1, 2026.

Lopokoiyit had spent about 15 years in the Safaricom and Vodacom ecosystem, rising through various roles before leading M-PESA Africa.

At M-PESA Africa, he oversaw a platform serving more than 56 million active customers across seven African markets, according to Absa’s official profile. <Cite refs={[“turn376551search1”]}/>

His move placed an executive with extensive mobile money experience in charge of Absa’s personal and private banking business.

Yusuf’s appointment adds another former Safaricom professional to Absa’s workforce, although she will lead Absa Pay rather than the group’s personal and private banking division.

Yusuf’s experience spans retail operations, human resources, product management, credit services and digital payments.

Her work at M-PESA Africa focused on developing payment products and expanding services across markets, experience that could be relevant to her new responsibilities at Absa Pay.

Her professional training includes an Innovation Leadership Bootcamp at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2021, a digital product management course through Boston University’s edX programme .

Naima Yusuf holds a higher diploma in human resource management from the College of Human Resource Management.

She also has a Bachelor of International Business Administration from United States International University-Africa.

Annah Nanjala Wekesa is a journalist at The Kenya Times, with a passion for crafting news-worthy stories that leave a lasting impact. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Media from Kisii University. She has honed her skills in the art of storytelling and journalism. Her passion lies in the art of storytelling that resonates with audiences, driving a commitment to delivering news-worthy stories through the lens of integrity and precision. She can be reached at [email protected]

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