Man charged with supplying Safaricom internet to Kawangware residents
A businessman who is reported to have tampered with Safaricom internet infrastructure and supplied internet to residents in Kawangware, a Nairobi suburb has been charged with illegally providing telecommunications services.
Fredrick Kiprop is accused of offering internet services without an application service provider license issued by the Communication Authority of Kenya.
He had allegedly opened a manhole to access Safaricom internet cables from where he installed his to connect into a residential house and his cybercafe.
He is also accused of receiving monthly payments from his clients through a Mpesa pay-bill number provided by Safaricom.
Safaricom engineers and security officers were on patrol to check the illegal connections when they found the cable and disconnected it.
They assigned a security guard to monitor anyone connecting the cable back and before long, Kiprop drove to the scene and started connecting the cable.
The Safaricom team returned and apprehended him. Kiprop denied the charges before senior resident magistrate Sharon Maroro and claimed he was forced to sign an inventory of items he was found with. He was freed on a bond of Sh200,000 and an alternative cash bail of similar amount.
The case will be mentioned on July 15.