Kenya - Mobile telephone operator Safaricom has told a court that its share capital at the stock exchange dropped following accusations that it was sabotaging the mobile phone number portability process. Lawyer Nelson Havi representing Safaricom in a defamation suit against Porting Access Limited told high court judge Kalpana Rawal that the company suffered a major injury at the Nairobi Stock Exchange due to the accusations. Havi was presenting arguments in a case filed against Porting and its managing director Patrick Musimba. Safaricom moved to court after Porting Access accused it of sabotaging the implementation of Mobile Number Portability.

The court in May issued orders prohibiting Porting Access from publishing statements which accuse Safaricom of sabotaging the mobile phone number portability process.

Mobile Number Portability is a process through which subscribers move from one operator to another while retaining their existing numbers and the contacts in the phone books. The new system took effect on April 1.

Lawyer Havi yesterday insisted that Porting Access had defamed Safaricom through the statements it made on the implementation of Mobile Portability Number.The judge extended orders until July 15 when a ruling will be delivered.

Pamela Chepkemei

Nairobi Star/17/06/2011