Orange Group, which currently holds a 70% stake in Telkom Kenya, is in the midst of negotiations with two foreign firms over the possible sale of the unit, Business Daily Africa reports. Nigeria’s MegaTech Engineering has reportedly joined the previously linked Viettel Group in conducting due diligence on Telkom, and a deal could be concluded as early as late-July. A third possible buyer, Emerging Markets Telecoms Service (EMTS), which does business in Nigeria as Etisalat, has also been named by the newspaper, although its precise level of interest remains unconfirmed.
MegaTech, which intends to roll out a Time Duplex Long Term Evolution (TD-LTE) network in Nigeria would represent an unlikely buyer, but has a long-stated interest in Kenya, and made an unsuccessful approach for Essar Telecom Kenya (yu) in April this year.
For its part, Hanoi-headquartered Viettel Group has increasingly positioned itself as a pan-African operator after launching in Mozambique in May 2012; the company currently holds additional licences in Cameroon and Burundi, with licence applications pending in Burkina Faso and Tanzania.
Last month Orange Group sold its majority stake in Orange Uganda to Africell Holding for an unconfirmed fee.
Kenya, Orange Group (formerly France Telecom), Telkom Kenya (Orange Kenya), Viettel Group, Megatech Engineering (Zoda Fones), Corporate/Financial, Mergers/Acquisitions
