President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday announced a partnership between Telkom Kenya and the Google Loon Project to help during the closure of schools over the Coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking from State House, the President announced that the companies had agreed to utilize Google Loon to boost 4G coverage in Kenya during the stay home order.
"I am pleased to announce that the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), has signed an agreement with Google Loon that allows Loon Balloons to fly over Kenyan Airspace. These balloons, which will hover well above our commercial airspace, carry 4G base stations and have the capacity to provide wider signal coverage.
"Additionally, this development will also enable Telkom Kenya Ltd (TKL) and Google Loon to start the commercial rollout of a 4G data network in the Country as soon as the balloons are available on the Kenyan airspace. The two companies have been testing this service for the last two years," the President stated.
He added that the innovation will be particularly useful for medics across the country who are in the frontline in dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic.
Neither the President nor Telkom Kenya CEO Mugo Kibati clarified on when the giant balloons will start flying in Nairobi, however, the President noted that the process will not have cost implications on the government.
Kenyans disappointed by Uhuru's Monday presser
Kenyans who had expected President Kenyatta to give more details on the current 15 confirmed Covid-19 infections in the country expressed their disappointment at the seemingly unrelated statement.
One @Ohta_Ryota tweeted: "Uhuru should stop wasting people's time with nonsense......alale tu vile alikuwa amelala as all this Corona was imported. Anaambia watu wa Turkana mambo ya 4G na kusoma kwa Youtube? Is he crazy? Kids are out there battling locusts and bandits."