(Ecofin Agency) - Telecom operators Safaricom and Telkom won the call for tender issued by Kenya’s Telecommunications Authority (KCA) for the extension of the telecommunications network in 78 remote areas. Turkana, Wajir, Garissa and Kwale communities are the priority zones.

The KCA set the tender to Ksh1.24 billion. Safaricom won part of the offer estimated at Ksh888 million while Telkom’s part is estimated at 350 million.

Justifying the works entrusted to Safaricom and Telkom, Nixon Mageka, member of the advisory board of the Universal Service Advisory Council (USAC) explained that : “Now the operators would ordinarily not extend their networks to these places because economically they are not viable to them but as a government we wanted everybody to stay connected… We will help them go to areas which they would not ordinarily go but which we want them to go”. 

According to the USAC, once the project is completed, 319,298 people can have access to quality telecom services. Since the launch of the universal service, 238,082 people have been connected to the telecom network in the country where 164 areas are still not connected.