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Kenya phone firm nabs vandals

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 3 – Integrated telecommunications solutions provider, Orange has moved to beef up its security surveillance systems as a deterrent measure against transmission system vandals.

This is in a bid to rein in vandals who have been occasioning the firm an average Sh30million loss monthly.

Following increased cases of fibre optic cables and copper transmission line vandalism, in Nairobi, Eldoret and Kisumu areas, the company has increased its security patrols and enhanced its monitoring capacity countrywide.

Working in close collaboration with security firm Pinkertons, Orange on Tuesday staged a sting operation in the City’s Wanyee area and managed to arrest three culprits struggling to unearth a copper transmission line.

Speaking at the company’s Jamhuri Exchange Complex moments after the arrest of the suspects, Telkom Kenya Head of Corporate Communications Angela Mumo said the firm would petition the government to institute stiffer penalties for vandals.

"Our operations have continued to suffer heavy losses due to increased cases of vandalism and we are now moving to petition the government to hand down stiffer penalties to suspected vandals," Ms Mumo said.

She added: "light sentences have continued to fuel this vice which continues to occasion heavy losses both on our operations and the general economic wellbeing of our customers."

Pinkertons Security Technical manager Henry Kithome expressed sabotage fears over the increased vandalism cases.

"At this juncture, we cannot rule out sabotage as the recent cases appear to be carefully orchestrated beyond mere scrap metal influenced cable theft," Kithome said.

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The three suspects are thought to have been behind a series of three cable cuts along the Nairobi Business park transmission area which has rendered Telkom Kenya fixed line operations within the Nairobi Business Park inoperable.

Telkom Kenya provides innovative, accessible and refreshingly simple communications solutions to its customers.

Orange Mobile, Orange Fixed Plus and Orange Broadband are Telkom Kenya’s GSM, wireless and internet services provided under its commercial brand, ‘Orange’.

The national fixed line service, Telkom Fixed, is provided under the Telkom Kenya brand.

Telkom Kenya was established in 1999 as the nation’s original telecommunications provider.

Orange is the key brand of France Telecom, one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators. With 126 million customers, the Orange brand now covers Internet, television and mobile services in the majority of countries where the Group operates.

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