Dear Anne, The initial Kenya Power project was to lease excess fiber capacity from the system that monitors their power infrastructure. I do believe that Nairobi County tampered with the last mile connectivity to Kenya Power fiber customers. The customers include banks (for ATMs etc.) and other tier one client organizations that cannot afford to lose connectivity and that is why they have a redundancy of one provider with underground cables and another with overhead cables Regards, Alex ________________________________ From: Anne Gathirwa via KICTANet <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Sent: Wednesday, February 26, 2025 10:31 AM To: Alex Watila <awatila@gmail.com> Cc: Anne Gathirwa <mgathirwa61@gmail.com> Subject: [kictanet] Re: Nairobi Internet Disrupted - How Can This Be Resolved? Does Kenya Power own the fiber optic cables? What benefit does the County Government gain by cutting the cables? there are various legal channels that can be utilized inorder to solve their grievances rather than resorting to property damage and inconveniencing innocent citizens. On Wed, Feb 26, 2025 at 7:18 AM David Indeje via KICTANet <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke>> wrote: Dear Listers, A critical situation unfolding in Nairobi that's causing widespread disruption: the ongoing dispute between Nairobi County and Kenya Power. As you may have heard/ read, Nairobi County officials have taken the drastic step of cutting fiber optic cables from Kenya Power's utility poles. This action has resulted in significant internet service disruptions affecting businesses, schools, and homes across the capital. The core of the issue stems from an unpaid electricity bill of approximately $23.1 million (KES 3 billion) owed by Nairobi County to Kenya Power. However, the county government argues that Kenya Power owes them an even larger sum in unpaid land rates, wayleave fees, and parking charges. This counter-claim has escalated tensions and led to a hostile standoff. The Communications Authority (CA) has condemned these actions, emphasising that ICT infrastructure falls under national government jurisdiction. As the CA stated, "Fibre optic networks are a cornerstone of Kenya’s digital economy. Any interference must follow legal and regulatory frameworks." This situation is clearly unsustainable and is severely impacting the digital economy and daily lives of Nairobi residents. We are eager to hear your thoughts on how this dispute can be resolved. -- Kind Regards, David Indeje @KICTANet<https://www.kictanet.or.ke/> Communications _____________________________________ [https://cytonn.sheerhr.com/signature/icon/ico-phone.png]+254 (0) 711 385 945 | +254 (0) 734 024 856 KICTANet portals Connect With Us<https://linktr.ee/Kictanet> ______________________________________ _______________________________________________ KICTANet mailing list -- kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> To unsubscribe send an email to kictanet-leave@lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:kictanet-leave@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Unsubscribe or change your options at: https://mm3-lists.kictanet.or.ke/mm/lists/kictanet.lists.kictanet.or.ke/ Mailing List Posts Online: https://posts.kictanet.or.ke/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/KICTANet/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KICTANet/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/KICTANet/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kictanet/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbcLVjnPtTGBEeYLGUb2Yow/ WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaQsX4w6mYPIctLsGh1K KICTANet is a multi-stakeholder Think Tank for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. KICTANet is a catalyst for reform in the Information and Communication Technology sector. Its work is guided by four pillars of Policy Advocacy, Capacity Building, Research, and Stakeholder Engagement. KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. PRIVACY POLICY: See https://mm3-lists.kictanet.or.ke/mm/lists/kictanet.lists.kictanet.or.ke/ KICTANet - The Power of Communities, is Kenya's premier ICT policy engagement platform.