Safaricom is moving to cut its reliance on third-party internet providers with a new subsea fibre optic cable linking Oman and Kenya, backed by a unit of Facebook parent Meta. The project, dubbed the Daraja Fibre Optic Cable, is one of the latest bets by global tech firms on Africa’s growing demand for data.
The Kenyan operator will anchor the 4,108-kilometre cable from Salalah, Oman, to Nyali Beach in Mombasa. Regulatory filings show the project will cost $23 million in Kenya and is scheduled to go live in 2026. Meta’s Ireland-based affiliate, Edge Network Services Ltd, is financing part of the build and will take a stake, although the size of its interest has not been disclosed.
The partnership reflects two pressures: Safaricom’s need for direct bandwidth control as it expands into data services and Meta’s global strategy of expanding internet infrastructure to support its platforms and artificial intelligence projects.
Safaricom currently buys capacity from other operators, including Telkom Kenya and SEACOM, which run most of the cables landing in Mombasa. Its agreements with SEACOM expire in 2028, leaving it exposed unless it secures fresh capacity. The Daraja project allows the company to hedge against rising costs and competition.
For Meta, the cable is part of a broader plan to lay about 50,000 kilometres of subsea systems worldwide. The company is also behind Project Waterworth, a global link spanning the US, India, South Africa, and Brazil, while rival Google is building the Umoja cable to connect Africa directly with Australia. Both firms are racing to control the backbone infrastructure that delivers most of the world’s internet traffic.
The Kenyan component of Daraja involves installing the cable through the country’s territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zone, with a landing at Mombasa. A beach manhole and a cable landing station will connect the subsea link to terrestrial fibre networks, which Safaricom will complete. Construction will use cable-lay ships offshore and divers in shallow waters.
Kenya’s environmental authority, NEMA, has approved the project’s ecological and social impact assessment, paving the way for installation. The report states the cable will use 24 fibre pairs, more than typical systems, to boost capacity.
The timeline is clear: deployment begins once regulatory clearances and marine works are completed, with commercial service expected in 2026.
Safaricom’s move comes as competition in the fixed internet market heats up. Starlink, the satellite service backed by Elon Musk, has gained a foothold in Kenya since 2023 and is drawing users with flexible hardware rental plans. Airtel Kenya is also preparing to activate its submarine cable, while Jamii Telecommunications and Wananchi Group continue expanding fibre access.
Data already accounts for a growing share of Safaricom’s revenue, offsetting flat growth in voice calls. Securing its own subsea link marks a strategic shift: from being a buyer of capacity to a direct player in the infrastructure that underpins the internet in East Africa.
