Safaricom spends an enormous amount of money advertising,social-investing,and keeping its employees happy. It also pays a lot of money to the government in form of taxes. It also pays all kinds of suppliers,known and unknown.

Now it says investors can go sing a song. Who will tell our corporates that investing in investors is the biggest investment that can ever be made? Michael Joseph and his team have erred. Over 800000 thousand loyal customers cum investors cannot just be treated like this. It is wrong. Very wrong!

RUCHWARSTEVE -super surfing

The investor holding ordinary shares sits at the bottom of the totem pole. He gets last priority during winding up. Remember,ordinary shares are not refundable i.e. the company can't buy them back so from a hard nosed perspective,the company has NO obligation to make the ordinary shareholder happy.
It is however in their interests to keep the ordinary investor happy as they might one day require to tap them for funds (rights issue). If the company however decides to fund expansion with debt,they don't need the ordinary investor - sad,but true.

You may expect 30,000 people but 100,000 people decide to turn up when they hear there will be free lunch. Result? Chaos!!!

Be the change you want to see in the world...

@harry,nothing has been passed yet,all decisions have to be approved at the AGM. Nobody will force you to get your dividend via Mpesa,that was clearly pointed out by Les Bailie. No need to get mad if freebies aren't coming your way...

Be the change you want to see in the world...

The tradition of giving goodies to shareholders is based on fallacious and warped logic.

Share holders get dividends from the company,in this case 10cents per share. After buying the shares,they do absolutely nothing to help running the company. Therefore they deserve absolutely nothing in addition to the dividend!

If they don't like the idea,then they can go jump in the lake or the ocean...which ever is nearer!!

Uchumi (and you all know how that one went!!) started this bad habit by printing calendars for it's shareholders in the 1990s. Strangely,the company would not give calendars to its customers or staff.

Now imagine that,you open a shop; at the end of a successful year,you print a calendar for yourself but you don't give any to your customers!!

Also,think about this: a guy with 1,000 share is entitled to sh100 dividend. Now this same guy wants a sh350 T-shirt,a sh600 lunch,sh500 bus fair,sh200 umbrella,sh100 cap etc. Where does he think the money will come from? Michael Joseph's pocket?

Get serious!!!

And another thing; so I have a few shares in Microsoft; would I ask for a return air-ticket to USA to attend the AGM?

Aai; Yawah!!

Behind the gardens...Behind the wall...Under the tree (Including: Red...Dark Blue...Yellow)