The Competition Commission of the Kenyan Government (CAK) has approved the draft merger of Airtel Kenya and Telkom Kenya.
In a notice published yesterday in the Kenyan Official Gazette, the CAK gave the go-ahead to the agreement, setting out a number of conditions, including a guarantee to retain a certain number of employees.
According to the agreement, the company will be called Airtel-Telkom and the two companies must ensure that at least 349 of the total 674 employees remain in their jobs.
In addition, the merged entity will not be allowed to sell or transfer some of its operating and spectrum licences until they expire.
"Upon expiry of the operating licences of the merged entities, the spectrum in the 900MHZ and 1800MHZ bands acquired by Telkom will be returned to the Government of Kenya,' the notice states.
For the next two years, therefore, there should be no substantial changes for users of the two telephone lines and the Internet either. In the next few days, however, will come other official communications that will help to better clarify the objectives and future horizons of the new company committed to strengthen competition to the "giant" national Safaricom.