Written by Gabriella Mulligan | From IT Web Africa

Phase one of Kenya’s hi-tech surveillance network is expected to be completed by year-end, says the chief executive officer (CEO) of Safaricom Bob Collymore. Safaricom, which is Kenya’s biggest mobile phone company, is carrying out the $170 million government tender.

The ‘National Service Police Project’ spans Nairobi and Mombasa, and the project was fast-tracked amid attacks carried out by Somali militant group al Shabaab in the country.
“[The system] will enable the entire security apparatus including those relating to disaster management, to have a more proactive approach to avoiding most of the criminal incidents affecting the country, and at the same time allow them a faster response time,” Collymore said.

“We are working hard to ensure that we complete the first tranche of this assignment in Nairobi and Mombasa within the next four months,” he added.

Work on the project’s first phase comes after the tender was frozen by Kenya’s parliament in June as lawmakers questioned whether government followed correct procedures in awarding the contract to Safaricom.

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