AccessKenya Group

Access Kenya Group
Private Subsidiary
Industry Internet
Founded 1995
Founder Jonathan Somen
David Somen
Headquarters Nairobi, Kenya
Key people
 Richard Hechle
Group CEO
Products Internet services, Converged Communications and IT Services
Revenue Increase KES: 1.9 Billion (2012)
Increase KES: 151.4 Million (2012)
Total assets Decrease KES: 2.27 Billion (2012)
Total equity Increase KES: 1.25 Billion (2012)
Number of employees
 400+
Parent Dimension Data Holdings
Website Home Page

AccessKenya Group is a Kenyan company specializing on internet service provision with operations in every major city in Kenya. The Group's headquarters are located at the Purshottam Place on Westlands road, in the town of Nairobi.

Overview

Access Kenya Group comprises Communications Solutions, Broadband Access (Blue), one of Kenya’s largest data carrier network operators and Openview Business Systems, one of Kenya’s IT services providers. The Group has 6,000+ corporate leased lines across Kenya and employs over 400 people mainly stationed in Nairobi and other big Kenyan cities, such as Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru and Eldoret.

AccessKenya has numerous partnerships including Cisco (Premier Partner), Motorola, Oracle, Net App Gold Partner and IBM (Premier Business Partner).

In 2008, Openview Business Systems, AccessKenya was voted the Best ISP in Kenya while Openview was awarded the 1st runner up Solutions Provider of the Year by Computer Society of Kenya(CSK). Other awards include three awards at the COYA awards including Runner Up Company of the Year SME Sector, and two further COYA awards in 2007. Openview is ISO certified and has won the CSK IT solution provider of the year in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

History

Access Kenya Group was founded in 1995 by brothers David and Jonathan Somen to provide information and communications technology for corporate clients within Kenya, under the name Communications Solutions Limited. The company changed its name in 2000 to AccessKenya.

In 2007, AccessKenya performed an initial public offering (IPO) of stock on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), which ended in April 2007. AccessKenya then became Kenya’s first publicly listed ICT company in the NSE. The IPO offered 80 million shares at a price of KSH 10 per share.

In 2007, AccessKenya Group acquired OpenView Business Systems.In February 2009, AccessKenya acquired Satori Solutions, a mid-sized virtual ISP to help promote the sale of the group’s new SoHo service which is focused on the small and home office market. As at February 2008, AccessKenya had a corporate client base of 3000; a residential base of 1500, and small/medium enterprises base of 125, most of whom who are in the major Kenyan cities; Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Nakuru.

In June 2013, the AccessKenya Group received a take over bid from Dimension Data Holdings[1] for 100% of the stock that would lead to the delisting of the stock from the Nairobi Securities Exchange. The offer received irrevocable undertaking from the three founders representing 30.28% of the voting rights.[2] The offer was accepted by the shareholders at an extraordinary meeting and the company exited the securities exchange on November 27, 2013.[3]

Subsequently the buyout was concluded successfully in January 2014 paving way for the company to merge with Internet Solutions Kenya Limited, also owned by Dimension Data Group. The two firms are presently in the process of integration into one entity over the next two-year period. Currently AccessKenya services are classified under the 5C strategy focus of Internet Solutions i.e. Cloud, Communication, Connectivity, Carrier and Customer focus.

Companies within the AccessKenya Group hold four licenses from Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) including DCNO, ISP, PDNO, and Local Loop Operator licenses.

Subsidiaries and Investments

The companies that comprise the AccessKenya Group include, but are not limited, to the following:[4]

Ownership

AccessKenya Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dimension Data Holdings.

Governance

AccessKenya Group is governed by a seven-person Board of Directors with Daniel Ndonye serving as the Chairman of the group and Richard Hechle as the Group CEO.[5]

References

External links

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