New submarine cable puts Kenya's Coast on digital growth path

Submarine cable on the seabed. Kenya's Coast is set to benefit from the planned LuLu Coastal Cable System linking Mombasa to Lamu. [Courtesy]

A new submarine cable linking Mombasa to Lamu could reshape Kenya's coastal economy by opening the region to more data centres, cloud services and technology businesses.

 The planned LuLu Coastal Cable System will connect five landing points along the Indian Ocean coastline, including Vipingo, Kilifi and Malindi, while providing a parallel terrestrial route designed to keep services running if the submarine link is disrupted.

The developers say the system will extend resilient digital connectivity along Kenya's 500-kilometre coastline and support the growth of industries that rely on reliable high-capacity internet infrastructure.

 At the centre of the plan is Vipingo Special Economic Zone (SEZ), where direct submarine cable connectivity is expected to strengthen the area's appeal to digital investors.

 The developers say the connection could help attract hyperscale data centres, cloud service providers, fintech and payment-processing companies, business process outsourcing firms and cybersecurity operations.

 That could broaden Vipingo's role beyond manufacturing and logistics and strengthen the Coast's position as a potential digital and industrial corridor.

 The cable will also link the coastal system to international connectivity through Mombasa, where existing submarine cables connect Kenya to global internet networks.

 The proposed system will use dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) technology and have 144 fibres, with a design capacity of up to 60 terabits per second per fibre pair, according to the developers.

 Its architecture will combine the submarine route with a parallel protected terrestrial pathway, providing an alternative route for traffic and reducing dependence on a single connection.

The system is being developed by Mauritius-based INDOI Ltd, through its IOX infrastructure business, in partnership with Kenya-registered Blue Trade Investments Ltd, ARISE Integrated Industrial Platforms, AfriTrade Consulting Group and Kingdom Bank.

 Arunachalam Kandasamy, founder and chief executive of INDOI, said the project was designed to address the lack of a unified coastal digital infrastructure system connecting the region from Mombasa to Lamu.

 “East Africa is not a market of the future, it is a market of right now,” Kandasamy said.

 George Olaka, country head of ARISE IIP Kenya, said direct submarine connectivity would strengthen Vipingo SEZ's ability to attract technology-driven businesses alongside manufacturers.

 “The LuLu cable system adds an important dimension to that vision,” Olaka said.

 The project also targets the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) corridor, potentially adding digital infrastructure to a corridor largely associated with transport, logistics, energy and trade infrastructure.

 However, the project remains at the development stage. The developers expect the system to be ready for service in the second quarter of 2028, subject to contract execution.

 The planned 25-year system is expected to have centralised network management and serve industries, governments and international operators that require high levels of network availability.