The Kenyan minister of information and communications, Samuel Poghisio, has assured the country that the landing of The East African Marine System (Teams) cable is on course.
Despite media reports to the contrary, a ceremony celebrating the launch of the cable is expected to be held tomorrow. Over the last few weeks, Kenyan papers have been filled with reports saying the Teams Inc cable consortium had not done the necessary land surveys for the landing of the cable.
Industry watchers have been concerned that the lack of proper procedure for the cable would prevent it from landing in the country tomorrow. However, in a statement on the government Web site, Poghisio explained the launch of the system will not be held back, and all the proper procedures had been followed.
In a media briefing, the ministry's permanent secretary, Dr Bitange Ndemo, explained that additions to the cable's length and a shipwreck had delayed the cable, which could have sparked the speculation.
The 4 500km fibre-optic project connects Mombasa, on the coast of Kenya, to Fujairah, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is 85%-owned by Teams Ltd and 15% is in the hands of UAE-based Etisalat.
The government of Kenya, Safaricom and Telkom Kenya are majority shareholders in the cable, each holding 20%. Earlier this year, local technology business, Allied Technologies, bought an 11% stake in the cable.
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