This is how a Kenyan internet service provider, spies on, robs residents
A criminal syndicate within Eastlands Nairobi is busy spying on residents for burglary.
Residents are accusing Poa! Internet, which provides cheap internet connection, of engaging in the theft of their receivers for reselling.
“I bought their internet receiver but after a few weeks, I noticed that my internet wasn’t working. I called them, they came and checked and sure enough someone had stolen the receiver. I followed up and found out that such cases are becoming rampant. Someone had lost their receiver in a way that shows it is only a technician from the company that can access it”, said a Umoja Innercore resident.
A spot check on the complaints on social media over Poa! Internet shows that that theory could not be further from the truth.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) might be involved.
Financing and poor pay
Early this year, the Kenyan Internet Service Provider (ISP) startup, received $28 million (Sh3.4 billion) from Africa50, an infrastructure financier backed by the AfDB Group and a good number of African governments.
The company said the cash would be used to fund its reach, first across Kenya, then progressively to other countries in the continent.
“We are focused on Kenya at the moment, but the problem we’re solving is continent-wide. And for us, it’s not just about getting people some connectivity. Our aim is to get a lot of people online and to give them a meaningful internet experience like the ability to stream videos, without worrying about how much data they’re consuming,” Poa Internet’s co-founder and CEO, Andy Halsall, told TechCrunch.
Question is, with the growing incidents of receiver thefts, for resell, are the technicians well remunerated?
