NAIROBI, KENYA: Integrated telecommunication solutions provider Orange has rebranded to Telkom, 12 months after the exit of majority shareholder the Orange Group.
Kenyan government owns 40 percent of the business.
“The company’s Board takes full cognizance of the historical and economic importance of Telkom to the country and Kenyans,” said Company Chair Eddy Njoroge.
“The move is a commitment to gradually restoring Telkom’s relevance in Kenya’s social and economic dynamic to transform it to a viable market player in the telecommunications sector and a profitable national asset,” he added.
Telkom’s consumer-facing branding brings with it a new logo, tagline, colour, creative look and feel that will be reflected in all of Telekom’s shops and offices, as well as redesigned websites.
The new brand identity will mark the end of France’s Orange operation in Kenya after a nine-year stint largely marked by losses and limited growth in the number of customers and revenue as well as run-ins with the National Treasury over the management of the operator. Telkom Kenya is now expected to start from scratch to build a new brand.
“We are looking at a new era where Telkom Kenya will no longer be looked at as a ‘sleeping giant’, as has been the case, and our users and the market are about to witness a new entity,” said the firm’s new chief technology officer, John Bororot.
He was brought in together with other industry insiders including a former Access Kenya managing director, Kris Senanu, in an effort to turn around the fortunes of the struggling telco.
Helios Investment Partners bought the entire 70 per cent stake owned by Orange Group but ceded a 10 per cent stake to the National Treasury, retaining a 60 per cent shareholding while the Government saw its shareholding go up from 30 to 40 per cent.
