With yuMobile’s exit due to be finalised and its assets stripped, another key mobile operator may be following in its steps and could soon announce its way out from the Kenyan market. Six years after making a dramatic entry into the local market through the acquisition of defunct Telkom Kenya’s assets, Orange Mobile is considering whether it will fight it out for market share with Safaricom and Airtel, or throw in the towel. Orange began with a senior management shake-up on March 1 that saw three new directors appointed: Gerard Ries, Olivier Froissart and Sebastian Fayard. The firm also appointed Allain Bridard as chief technical and information officer, a key position in the organisation. The mandate of the new management is unknown, and whether their job involves preparing Orange for an eventual, and what appears to be an inevitable sale, remains to be seen. Alternatively, the management changes could be intended to keep the firm afloat a while longer as it attempts to turn its fortunes around.
Read more at: http://www.standardmedia...-viability-exit-options

Management by announcement is going to kill Kenyan companies.

From before, the impression was that everything was a done deal; even cautionary statements issued. Then we hear CCK has not said anything and their board has not even met to give direction. Now there's talk of withdrawal, before anything even began.

What will happen now?

Equity gona grab the deal

Eric Ombok ‏@eombok 
@SafaricomLtd asked to share MPESA & other agents, passive & active infrastructure with competitors as part of 13 conditions for Essar deal

@cck_kenya to grant mobile phone licenses to Finserve Africa Ltd, Zioncell Kenya Ltd and Mobile Pay Ltd. Applications made last year.

@JBonyo It is a list of at least 12 conditions including all three companies paying any outstanding fees to regulator

Still trying to digest the approval.

http://www.bloomberg.com...com-airtel-purchase.html

It appears CCK has finally decided to regulate the market as relates to Safaricom's dominance. Hence the talk of national roaming service and the need to share infrastructure and m-pesa agents. And lately the green elephant has developed a knack for even bullying the regulator.

Then there are these 3 new telco operators licensed - Finserve Africa Ltd, Zioncell Kenya Ltd and Mobile Pay Ltd.

Where's Etislat or MTN or are they in buyout talks with Orange? These local unknown 3, what can they really do? At least the sound of an Equity or Nakumatt would have been more encouraging.

Finserve africa ltd is associated with equity.