Billionaire Elon Musk partnered with e-commerce platform Jumia Technologies to allow his satellite internet firm Starlink to penetrate the Kenyan market.
According to the new partnership, Jumia will distribute satellite terminals and connectivity kits in various parts of the country.
Interested customers will be able to order the kits online from Jumia which will then be delivered to them.
Jumia noted that the agreement will see it start selling the kits on its sites and through agents, using Nigeria and Kenya as a launch pad before rolling out the distributorship to the rest of the continent.
“For Kenya, it will take some time as there is no supply yet inside the country, so we would not commit on a date for now; we will work together with Starlink on that,” Jumia global head of communications Abdesslam Benzitouni stated.
Jumia will sell the Starlink dish, a mounting stand, cables, and a power source, at the Ksh89,000 price indicated on Starlink’s website.
The billionaire first expanded his empire by setting up services in Kenya in July 2023. Market analysts noted that Starlink could offer competition to Safaricom, Jamii Telecommunications, and Zuku.
However, others dismissed the claims noting that Starlink charges were high for Kenyan users as one was expected to pay Ksh100,000 upfront and then Ksh6,000 monthly charges.
While applauding Musk’s investment in the country, President William Ruto urged Starlink to reduce internet charges to allow uptake in Kenya.
He said during his visit to SpaceX’s factory, the company operating Starlink, in Los Angeles, United States of America.
“Their investment has the ability to significantly enhance high-speed connectivity in remote villages, schools and various institutions across the country, thus unlocking the full potential of our digital economy,” Ruto wrote.
