Tech giant HP not leaving Kenyan market

Rather, HP Inc., the U.S-based tech giant will stay but Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) leaves.

HP has clarified that it is neither leaving Kenya nor the East African market.

Reports emerged last week that Hewlett Packard East Africa Ltd (HPE) was leaving the country over hostile business and as part of an “internal re-organisation”.

“We would like to apologise to all our stakeholders for the uncertainty and the inconvenience that this story may have caused,” the company said.

Rather, HP Inc., the U.S-based tech giant will stay but Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) leaves.

In a statement, HP Inc. clarified, “In 2015, Hewlett Packard Company separated into two separate publicly traded companies – HP Inc. the company that manufacturers computers and printers and uses the blue logo, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) an IT Solutions and Software company. The entity in question is associated with HPE, not HP Inc.”

HP said it is committed and passionate about the African market. “We are dedicated to making a positive impact and helping our customers and partners in the African region use breakthrough solutions and technologies to help them reinvent their organisations.”

A statement last week revealed that Hewlett Packard East Africa Ltd was dormant and had been operating as a shell company for years.

This is despite court documents showing that the firm had been embroiled in a Sh232.8 million tax dispute with the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) for the years 2005 to 2011 for providing services to Switzerland-based Hewlett Packard Europe BV (HP Europe), its mother company.

Currently, the company has offices is in South Africa, Morocco, Kenya, Nigeria, and Tunisia.