Asset sale spree exposes Telkom Kenya to hostile takeover

Telkom subscribers queueing to register SIM cards at Telkom house, Nairobi, on April 11, 2022. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

It is often referred to as a sleeping giant in the telecoms sector owing to its longevity, vast asset holding and guaranteed government support. But an asset stripping spree over the past few years has reduced Telkom Kenya to a shell that is now a prime candidate for a hostile takeover.

In the last few years, State agencies and the ICT Ministry have taken chunks of multi-billion-shilling assets from Telkom Kenya at a time the telecommunications industry in the country is undergoing a dynamic transformation.