Airtel Kenya taking drastic measures

Mobile phone operator Airtel Kenya has reportedly sacked 50 of its employees, including senior staff and offloaded some of its major retail outlets to dealers.

The move is part of efforts by the new owners to turn around the operator that has been making losses and struggling to deal with cutthroat competition in the telephony industry.

Pressed to comment on the lay-offs, Airtel Kenya Managing Director Rene Meza said:  “The 50 associates in question have the opportunity to continue being part of the Airtel eco-system, as they will be given the first option in our growing distribution and agent’s network given their understanding of the brand and operations.”

“For those who opt to explore opportunities outside of the Airtel ecosystem we have contracted a reputable organisation to place the team members and provide the training they would need to find new opportunities. The company will meet the full cost of this support.”

The new wave of reorganisation comes after what sources described as deep concern of the Indian parent company, Bharti Airtel, over the poor performance of its Kenyan unit.

The shake-up at Airtel – Kenya’s  second largest mobile operator by subscriber base – comes barely a year after the firm rebranded from Zain to Airtel following the buyout by Indian telcom  giant Bharti early last year.

Brian Adero