Nairobi will experience network disruptions during Obama visit, says Safaricom

Nairobi, Kenya: Mobile service provider Safaricom has warned there will be disruptions of the network during the three days that US President Barack Obama will be in Nairobi.

The disruptions could start Friday afternoon, and will depend on the location of President Obama and other delegates of the Global Entrepreneurship Summit will be.

“Accordingly, we wish to assure all our customers that there shall be minimal disruption to the network during the US President Obama’s visit later this week,” said a statement on Safaricom’s website.

Safaricom said they have however taken measures to ensure all network operations are not affected by any singular event.

“In this particular case, we have conducted key network optimization in certain locations where summit attendees will be located. In addition, we have upgraded our fixed data capacity to facilitate live streaming as the visit is of international interest.”

Places likely to be affected are residential areas near Mombasa road, Thika road, Limuru road, Uhuru highway, State House area, Waiyaki way, UN headquarters, Kenyatta University, Kasarani and adjacent areas.

“We recognize the fact that as the most protected individual in the world, there will be some security measures undertaken by his team which could include the temporary disruption of mobile signals close to where the President is at any given time. These interruptions will be intermittent,” added the statement.

The service provider said they had received a great deal of feedback from subscribers who are concerned that network operations will be affected during the Global Entrepreneurship Summit.

President Obama is expected to attend the White House initiative, which gathers entrepreneurs and investors from around the world and is aimed at showcasing innovative projects and spurring economic opportunity.

The visit is expected to command considerable global attention because of its huge symbolic importance.

More than 3,000 people are expected at the meeting.