A joint sitting of the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning and the Departmental Committee on Communication and Innovation today  met the Former Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Finance and National Planning Amb. Ukur Yatani to get information on Telkom Kenya buyback.

Amb. Yattani reassured legislators that the buyback of the Telkom Kenya Company was not only legitimate, but also in the interest of national security. 

According to the former CS, the buyback from Jamhuri Holdings Ltd in August 2022 was procedurally done by the Government, and all authorities required to approve the process did so. He added that the Kshs6.09Billion worth of purchase was meant to secure the company and the nation’s security. 

“Its important to know that Telkom operates critical infrastructure of the Government, including that of Government security. It also provides critical government telecommunications services to Interior and Defense Ministries, Office of the President, among others", explained the former CS.

According to the Amb. Yattani who signed off the transaction that has since raised legitimacy questions, Telkom Kenya also hosts the Government’s core communication networks, and these are sensitive physical and cyber systems that any serious, responsible, and sensitive Government must seek control of for the safety of its people.

In his submission, Amb. Yattani assured the Members  that this was a resolution that was reached after many security incidents occurred but remains unknown to the common mwananchi, whose security the Government is mandated to guarantee. 

The Committees’ Co-chairpersons sought to know if there existed any personal relationship or encounter between the former CS and any of the Directors of the Company (Jamhuri Holdings Ltd), to which the former CS said he has never met any of them, neither does he know any of the company’s directors. He also said that as a CS he did not know who the money was paid to and what it was used for. 

Members expressed serious concerns with Amb. Yatani’s submission that the buyback was due to national security reasons, yet, as per documents before the Committees, the Company’s share ownership stands at 60%  Helios/Jamhuri, which are foreign registered companies. This begs the question of the security of Kenya’s information in the hands of foreigners.