By: Kanto
Kai Okanta
Kenya’s government has made
available KSh 13 billion to catalyse private sector investment in the expansion
of the country’s national digital infrastructure, targeting the delivery of at
least 27,000 kilometres of backbone, middle-mile and cross-border fibre.
Principal Secretary for the
State Department of ICT and Digital Economy, Eng. John Kipchumba Tanui,
announced the investment during a pre-bid session in Nairobi for the Framework
Agreement Tender on National Backbone and Cross-Border Links under the Kenya
Digital Economy Acceleration Project (KDEAP).
The session brought together
internet service providers, telecommunications operators, investors, financiers
and development partners. The Chief Executive Officer of the ICT Authority,
Jessy Maruti, also attended.
According to Tanui, the
government’s investment is intended to catalyse matching private capital, close
connectivity gaps, strengthen network resilience and make it cheaper to connect
homes, businesses and public institutions.
Data from the Communications
Authority’s April–June 2026 report recorded 88 million mobile subscriptions,
54.9 million mobile broadband subscriptions and 54 million mobile money
subscriptions, providing a strong base for digital enterprise, financial inclusion
and service delivery.
Fixed internet connections
reached 2.84 million by June 2026, representing a 32.4 per cent increase, while
fibre connections rose by 29.7 per cent to 1.57 million.
Kenya’s submarine cables and
cross-border links provide approximately 28.95 terabits per second (Tbps) of
international bandwidth, supporting cloud services, digital trade, business
process outsourcing (BPO) and innovation.
Tanui said the private
sector had added 24,000 kilometres of fibre since 2022, while the public sector
had contributed 17,000 kilometres, demonstrating the impact of sustained
partnerships in expanding the country’s digital infrastructure.
He explained that the
missing links had been jointly identified and verified, with public support to
be allocated competitively through a Multi-Round Reverse Auction (MRRA) to
mobilise matching private investment.
The government’s ambition is
to achieve more than eight million fixed broadband connections, working towards
connecting every home with electricity.
Tanui said the expanded
network would support digital education for learners, online work and
entrepreneurship for young people, wider market access for businesses and
improved access to services for families.
He commended the ICT
Authority, the World Bank and other partners for their contributions, saying
the initiative was aimed at building a “Digital Superhighway that connects
Kenyans to opportunity.”
