Kenyan government denies reports of a plot to have the country's telecommunications giant split into two

david nganga

February 20, 2018 5:53 PM

Safaricom controls over 70 percent of the telecom market in the country.

Kenyan government has no plans to split, Safaricom, the country’s largest telecom operator.

Broadcasting and Telecommunications Principal Secretary Sammy Itemere has denied reports of a plot to divide Safaricom into several components following a request by market players for the firm to be broken down into two units offering telephony services and mobile money services and create a level playing field.

Speaking at a stakeholder’s workshop on the telecommunications competition study, the PS said already Communication Authority has developed regulations and policies to rein in on any player who abuses their dominance position in the market.

Mr. Itemere added a study on the competitiveness of the local telecommunications market will be released in three months.

The study is being undertaken by UK based research firm Analyse and Mason.

Safaricom which has evolved to become the largest telecom operator in the region currently controls over 70 percent of the telecom market in the country.

david nganga