Access Kenya re-brands to Internet Solutions

No photo availableCIO Africa authorByBaraka Jefwa
2 min read

Access Kenya has officially re-branded to Internet Solutions Kenya (IS-Kenya). Dimension Data bought out Access Kenya in 2014; following the…

(L-R) Richard Hechle, IS Managing Director, Alice Kirumba, IS Group
(L-R) Richard Hechle, IS Managing Director, Alice Kirumba, IS Group Client Services Manager and Muchemi Wambugu, Digital Advisor, toasting champagne during the re-brand event held at Radisson Blu Hotel, Nairobi Kenya.

Access Kenya has officially re-branded to Internet Solutions Kenya (IS-Kenya).

Dimension Data bought out Access Kenya in 2014; following the buyout, Access Kenya has been co-existing with IS-Kenya, a fully owned subsidiary of Dimension Data, in the country; the re-brand though, has seen Access Kenya change its name and logo to that of IS.

speaking during the colorful event (at Radison Blu Hotel, Nairobi Kenya) Mr. Richard Hechle, IS-Kenya, MD, said:

“This re-brand is a culmination of the merger of both businesses and their transformation. Access Kenya was always known as a connectivity business while Internet Solutions is a pan-African ICT solutions company; so after years of merging the cultures and transforming the business it was time for a proper reintroduction,”

The re-brand means: energy, a lease of life, expanding in the region and a very bright future for our client base,

Mr. Richard Hechle added that regional CIOs and ICT leaders alike will benefit from the move; as it will mean more partnerships and looking at road maps: to cyber resilience, business continuity planning, disaster recovery and colocation, hosting and data centers all this in addition to their data business.

The Access Kenya history

Access Kenya started out with the name Communications Solutions Limited. Brothers David and Jonathan Somen founded the company in 1995 to provide ICTs for corporate clients in Kenya.

The company changed its name in 2000 to AccessKenya. AccessKenya performed an initial public offering of stock on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), becoming Kenya’s first publicly listed ICT company, in April 2007. In the same year, the company acquired OpenView Business Systems for a reported KSh168 million.

AccessKenya acquired Satori Solutions, a mid-sized virtual ISP, in February 2009. In June 2013, the AccessKenya Group received a takeover bid from Dimension Data Holdings for 100% of the stock that would lead to the delisting of the stock from the Nairobi Securities Exchange.

According to Wikipedia, the offer received irrevocable undertaking from the three founders representing 30.28% of the voting rights. The offer was accepted by the shareholders at an extraordinary meeting and the company exited the securities exchange in November of the same year.

Following the buyout, AccessKenya merged with Internet Solutions Kenya Limited, a Dimension Data Group subsidiary.

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