Kenya’s plan to lay a high-speed fibre optic cable from Isiolo to Mandera has entered a critical stage after the completion of an environmental and social impact assessment, setting the stage for the rollout of the project expected to open up the country’s most underserved digital corridor.
The proposed 740-kilometre link, to be implemented by the Information and Communication Technology Authority (ICTA), will run through Isiolo, Garissa, Wajir and Mandera counties, extending the national broadband backbone to the border with Ethiopia and Somalia.
According to the assessment, the line is designed to strengthen national and regional data exchange, positioning Kenya as a key connectivity route into the Horn of Africa.
The project forms part of the government’s plan to expand the National Optic Fibre Backbone Infrastructure (NOFBI) and integrate northern Kenya into the national communications grid.
The report identifies 341 public institutions—including schools, hospitals and training centres—that are expected to benefit from direct connections once the fibre is operational, in addition to proposing local access networks to link nearby communities and public offices.
ICTA says the fibre corridor will improve access to e-government services and digital infrastructure in a region that has long remained outside reliable broadband coverage, adding that the project is aligned with efforts to promote digital inclusion and attract investment in data-driven services across northern Kenya.
The assessment, however, highlights environmental and logistical risks along the route, including land disputes, vegetation loss, and the need for community consultation before construction begins.
It also flags the need for clear security arrangements during implementation, citing the region’s history of banditry and intermittent conflict. Contractors will be required to coordinate with county security teams and schedule works in stable zones to avoid disruption.
The project, estimated to cost Sh3.1 billion, is expected to rely on existing transport corridors to minimise land acquisition. Most of the fibre will be buried underground along the Isiolo–Mandera road, with power nodes and repeater stations installed at intervals to maintain signal strength.
Once complete, the line is projected to provide an alternative terrestrial data path that could complement Kenya’s submarine cables at the Coastal region and reduce dependency on single routes for international traffic.
It will also open the possibility of cross-border interconnection with Ethiopia and Somalia, strengthening regional data exchange and redundancy.
The environmental report notes that only one of the planned core sites along the route currently lacks access to grid electricity, with solar installations proposed as backup.
ICTA is expected to submit the report to the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) for approval before groundworks can begin later this year.
Construction is projected to take two years, with the agency indicating that local labour will be prioritised during implementation.
If executed on schedule, the Isiolo–Mandera fibre will connect Kenya’s least-served counties to the national broadband network and create a new data corridor linking the country to the Horn of Africa’s growing digital market.
The connectivity is expected to improve access to e-government services, digital education platforms and financial applications such as mobile banking and online payments. It is also poised to attract data-driven businesses to towns that have historically relied on costly satellite internet.
In addition to linking public institutions, the line is expected to enhance resilience within Kenya’s overall communication network. The existing coastal cables that handle most of the country’s data traffic have previously experienced outages, disrupting services ranging from online banking to telecommunication exchanges.
A secondary inland route through northern Kenya would provide redundancy in case of coastal interruptions, improving the stability of digital infrastructure nationwide.
At the its inception, the President William Ruto-led Kenya Kwanza administration spelt out a plan to lay down at least 100,000 kilometres of fibre optic across the country to improve network connectivity, amid network challenges in high security-risk areas.
The project, first announced by the president a month after he assumed office, falls under the infrastructure pillar of the country’s digital transformation agenda and is aimed at boosting internet connectivity across the country and making its access stable and reliable.
In April 2023, the State announced that it would lay 52 percent of the proposed 100,000 kilometres, while the rest would be done by the private sector.
