Kenya’s government has announced a plan to extend the national fiber‑optic network by 44,000 kilometres, aiming to improve internet connectivity for public institutions and expand backbone, middle‑mile and cross‑border routes.

The expansion consists of a 17,000km project focused on schools, health facilities and government offices, and a separate 27,000km stretch covering backbone, middle‑mile and cross‑border infrastructure, which will be supported by roughly KES 13 billion in government investment.

Funding for the private‑sector component translates to about KES 481,000 per kilometre of new fiber, according to the ministry’s calculations.

The projects are part of the broader Digital Superhighway programme, which targets a total of 100,000km of national fiber infrastructure by 2030.

If fully realised, the 44,000km addition would raise Kenya’s total fiber length from the current 40,000km baseline to about 84,000km, representing a 110% increase, though the figure assumes all planned kilometres are new and non‑overlapping.

Current statistics show that fibre connections serve roughly 1.57 million users, a modest base compared with 64.3 million mobile data subscriptions recorded in June 2026.

Household data from the 2023/24 Kenya Housing Survey reveal a stark urban‑rural divide: 81.9% of urban households have an internet user versus 48.8% in rural areas, and fixed‑line internet reaches 17.3% of urban homes but only 0.6% of rural ones.

The government links the fibre rollout to opportunities in digital content creation, marketing and online entrepreneurship, urging young Kenyans to develop professional skills and access reliable power and devices.

Officials caution that infrastructure alone will not guarantee jobs; success will depend on skills, affordable equipment, stable electricity and continued platform access.