Airtel Kenya CEO Prasanta Das Sarma at the of launch of Airtel Tubonge in Nairobi, April 28. [PHOTO/the-star.co.ke]
Airtel Kenya has gone to court asking that the Sh2 billion license fee demanded by the Communication Authority of Kenya (CAK) be quashed.
The company further asked the High Court to compel the authority to withdraw the demand and issue them a synchronised license without any further costs as per the Essar sale agreement that saw them buy Yu subscribers and the company's operating license.
They made the plea on Monday
during submissions before a
Judicial Review between them and the CAK.
Representing Airtel, Senior counsel Fred Ngatia told Justice George Odunga that CAK had Not communicated for two years even after the company completed paying for the licence.
Ngatia alleged that after a long silence, the authority wrote to Airtel demanding the money to be paidthrough National Treasury.
"CAK had debts to settle that was why they started demanding for the money almost two years after paying Sh5.4billion licence fee and the matter was concluded," Ngatia said.
CAK last month slapped Airtel with a fee demand to the tune of Sh2.07 billion so as to renew their operator’s license, an exercise that is scheduled for January 27, 2025.
But the mobile company has
stood its ground that it will not pay the money,
arguing that the decision was arrived at in
bad faith.