Telkom Kenya defends self over top jobs

By David Ohito

Telkom Kenya says its top management positions have been distributed evenly across the board and not filled by expatriates.

In a statement sent to the Standard, Mr Jean-Michel Chanut, Telkom Kenya’s head of marketing and strategy said appointments were made in accordance with the business model that takes into concern need for parity and people with skills and experience in convergence technology from around the world.

Telkom Kenya headquarters in Nairobi. The company has said top management positions have been distributed evenly. [Photo: FILE]

"Key management positions are not all held by French. In fact, more than 99 per cent of the company is made up of Kenyan staff," said Chanut.

He was responding to allegations by some laid off workers who claimed expatriates had taken over top jobs, which Kenyans were qualified to hold.

Chanut denied that Telkom Kenya regulations in tendering process were flouted in an award of a multi-million outdoor advertising tender.

"Telkom Kenya procurement procedures are designed to enable the company attain the best value from a competitive market and ultimately to deliver greater value to its customers," he said.

single sourcing

The Kenya Outdoor Advertiser Association through their chairman Peter Odoyo accused the firm of single sourcing outdoor advertising to a firm owned by South Africans.

Odoyo alleged the tender was awarded without proper procedures to allow Kenyan owned firms compete for business.

"We read a sinister move when Kenyan firms are denied trading opportunities at the expense of foreign ones. Kenyans still own 49 per cent of Telkom Kenya and local firms would invest returns here," said Odoyo. The association was crying foul after a foreign owned firm was awarded a Sh300 million outdoor advertising irrevocable tender for fours years and paid in advance.

"The multi-year contract consists of creating a new innovative network outside Nairobi where outdoor advertising is not always available. The outstanding benchmark with that type of landmark outdoor advertising in Tanzania gave credit to this South African company. It is worth noting that it is not of common practice to tender for media buying," explained Chanut.

" Telkom Kenya works with nearly all outdoor players without any distinction through our present advertising agency. Moreover, outdoor advertising is very specific; some companies have some strategic sites that others don’t have and a firm may wish to access particular sites proposed only by company A or B," he said.