President William Ruto has defended his move to allow Elon Musk’s satellite internet firm—Starlink to enter the Kenyan market.
The President said that the entrance of Starlink to the market has created competition in the country.
“I have my CEO for Safaricom here, sometimes he is not happy with me for bringing in some other characters like Elon Musk and others in the space,” the President said.
“But you see, I keep encouraging Peter that competition helps you keep ahead, and he has been doing good; I must say he has upped his game, so we want to keep that space competitive.”
The president was speaking at the Kenya Business and Investment Roundtable in New York.
Starlink was introduced into the Kenyan market in July 2023. It offers high speed and coverage to remote areas where local internet service providers may not reach.
Powered by SpaceX, Starlink uses a network of satellites in low Earth orbit to deliver high-speed internet with low latency, making it ideal for rural and underserved regions.
Safaricom has over the years been Kenya’s leading telecommunications provider.