CC image courtesy of Vevela
The Kenyan High Court has ordered the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK), the police and mobile phone service operators to restore the emergency response number 999 by the end of the month.
The order by Judge Majanja follows a suit by Okiya Omtatah, who had sued the national police service, the attorney general, the CCK, the Commission of Implementation of the Constitution (CIC) and mobile operators Yu Mobile, Orange, Airtel and Safaricom, who he said needed to give reasons as why the service had been discontinued.
He had also asked the court to order the named respondents to provide a toll free 999 emergency response line, saying the lack of the service was a direct cause of insecurity in the country.
The respondents were also ordered to file minutes of two meetings held to discuss the possibility of a restoration of the service.
Omtatah had also accused the police of abdicating their duties in fighting and preventing crime.
“The lack of toll free number is an impediment to the efficient and effective day to day administration and operations of police service, “Omtatah told the court.
