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Mobile operators key in electronic transmission of election results says Safaricom CEO
Safaricom CEO, Bob Collymore, recently dismissed claims by Raila Odinga, NASA presidential candidate following allegations that the mobile operator played…
Safaricom CEO, Bob Collymore, recently dismissed claims by Raila Odinga, NASA presidential candidate following allegations that the mobile operator played some role in the meddling of Kenya’s August 8 annulled elections.
In a terse statement, Collymore observed that although mobile operators played a key in electronic transmission of the Kenyan elections, the operator had no role in the bungled presidential elections.
“People must go fight their political agenda without dragging innocent corporate firms into the contest. If the mobile operators offer transmission platform then there’s no way that electronic results can be availed. It can’t be done by magic. In Kenyan case, the three mobile operators came into this in good faith because we realized the country needed it and we think that to be drawn into a political debate is really not fair and it is not mature,” said Collymore vehemently.
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Odinga claimed one of Safaricom’s VPNs terminated transmission of results, cutting links between KIEMs kits and IEBC servers, a position, Collymore shockingly disagreed with noting that Safaricom even lost money while extending the goodwill gesture. “As a company. we lost money if you look at how much resources I had to throw into this, combining a Virtual Private Network. It was a loss making enterprise at the last election and this election.”
NASA, through lawyer Anthony Oluoch wrote to the DPP on September 29 demanding the investigation of Mr Thibaud Rerolle (French National Director Technical and IT Safaricom), Antony Gachanja (Head of Technology Security), Shaka Kwach (Head of Special Projects-in charge of elections), Robert Mutai (Head of Technology Strategy, Assurance and Governance), Farouk Gaffour (Head of Network and Services Operations) and Andrew Masila (Senior Manager, Strategy and Architecture).
“These are callous and baseless allegations and it puts people’s lives and their family lives at risk and I will hold those accusers personally responsible if any harm comes to any of those individuals. If people want to accuse then they should accuse me because I am the leader of the team. Don’t accuse my innocent members of stuff,” Safaricom CEO added.