For only Sh20, you can now read the paper

For as little as Sh20, you can now get a digital copy of your favourite paper directly on your phone as Daily Nation, Business Daily, Safaricom and the Standard partner to match new reader habits.

Readers will now be able to purchase newspapers using their airtime and read them on the go, with each purchased issue being available for seven days.

No registration or sign-up will be necessary, neither will customers be requested to download and install any application.

The price will also cover data usage, meaning a customer’s data bundle will not be consumed when reading through each paper.

“Nation Media Group remains at the forefront of innovation and continues to explore different solutions to keep its readers informed and up to date as news breaks. Our partnership with Safaricom to provide our award-winning publications at very affordable rates to customers wherever they are demonstrates this commitment,” said Nation Media Group’s Chief Executive Officer Stephen Gitagama.

While the shift towards digital journalism has been an ongoing process, the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated it as stay-at-home guidelines and restriction of movement disrupted print sales.

Newspaper sales have declined following the disruption of distribution channels, with customers being exploited by a fraudulent ring of profiteers who illegally circulate pirated copies of newspapers.

Online journalism has also exposed the need for credible, verified information and in-depth analysis that is offered by traditional media houses that have invested extensively in investigations, research and growing talent.

The new platform offers customers the same rich content at a lower price accessible on their mobile phones through USSD code *550#. They can also visit Safaricom.com, select the “Discover” option and then “Newspapers”, they will then see the newspapers available for purchase.

Customers will access the Daily Nation, Saturday Nation, Sunday Nation and Business Daily and the Standard Group’s newspapers.

“The world is quickly evolving to be digitally-led and we see our customers increasingly seeking ways in which they can achieve their goals by tapping into the convenience of their smartphone. We are glad to partner with media houses to digitise the newspaper channel and make them available on the mobile phone,” said Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa.

The initiative is part of Safaricom’s contribution in the fight against Covid-19 by empowering customers to conveniently access the newspapers even as they limit their movement.