Local wheeler-dealers eyeing stake in Telkom Kenya complicate Orange exit

The intrigues surrounding the exit of the Frenchmen in Telkom Kenya have deepened, as it emerges that a cabal of local businessmen are after a piece of the telecoms operator.

According to our source, who is privy to the discussions, in exchange for a stake in the operator, these ‘powerful’ businessmen say they will prepare the way and make it easy for Vietnamese operator Viettel to acquire the 70 per cent stake in Telkom Kenya that France’s Orange Telecom holds. The Government owns the remaining 30 per cent.