LuLu Coastal Cable System will link key locations from Mombasa to Lamu and is designed to support data centres, cloud services and other critical digital infrastructure…..
Kenya is moving to strengthen digital connectivity along its Indian Ocean coastline with the launch of the LuLu Coastal Cable System, described as the country’s first fully protected coastal submarine cable network.
The system was unveiled at ITW Africa 2026 and is expected to connect strategic locations along Kenya’s roughly 500-kilometre coastal corridor, linking Mombasa with Lamu through a combination of submarine and terrestrial infrastructure.
The project is being developed by INDOI Ltd, Blue Trade Investments Limited, ARISE Integrated Industrial Platforms, AfriTrade Consulting Group and Kingdom Bank Limited.
Its planned landing points include Mombasa, Vipingo Special Economic Zone, Kilifi and Malindi, creating a dedicated digital backbone for businesses and institutions operating along the coast.
Unlike conventional submarine cable networks, LuLu will combine an undersea cable route with a parallel protected terrestrial path. The dual-route design is intended to provide redundancy and reduce the risk of connectivity disruptions for customers that rely on uninterrupted digital services.
The system will use dense wavelength division multiplexing technology in the 1550-nanometre spectrum and will have 144 fibre pairs.
According to its developers, the network is designed to deliver capacity of up to 60 terabits per second per fibre pair.
LuLu is expected to have an operational lifespan of 25 years and will be managed through a centralised network management system.
Subject to the completion and execution of the necessary contracts, the developers expect the cable to become operational in the second quarter of 2028.
INDOI founder and Chief Executive Officer, Arunachalam Kandasamy, said the project was intended to address what he described as a longstanding digital infrastructure gap along Kenya’s coast.
“East Africa is not a market of the future, it is a market of right now,” Kandasamy said.
He described the Mombasa-Lamu corridor as strategically important to the region and said the cable would establish a dedicated digital backbone for the area.
One of the major landing points will be the Vipingo Special Economic Zone, where direct submarine connectivity could expand the types of businesses attracted to the industrial zone.
The developers said the connection could support hyperscale data centres, regional cloud-service hubs, business-process outsourcing and global business-services operations.
Other potential users include fintech and payment-processing companies, cybersecurity centres and manufacturers deploying Internet-of-Things technology.
Blue Trade Investments Limited, the Kenyan-registered infrastructure partner of INDOI, will act as the project’s cable landing party and regulatory interface, while also supporting its operational delivery in Kenya.
The company is expected to work with regulators, government agencies and coastal communities during the implementation and operation of the system.
ARISE IIP Kenya Country Head, George Olaka, said the cable would complement plans to develop Vipingo SEZ as more than a conventional manufacturing centre.
“Vipingo SEZ was never intended to be a conventional industrial zone,” Olaka said.
He said the zone was being developed around the interaction of industry, logistics, value addition and digital infrastructure.
The developers said Vipingo SEZ has the potential to attract investments of up to $3 billion, with the new cable expected to improve its appeal to technology-oriented businesses in addition to traditional industrial operators.
Kingdom Bank Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Anthony Mburu, said the project reflected the increasing importance of reliable digital infrastructure to investment and economic activity.
He said the bank was supporting Blue Trade Investments Limited as its client and described the LuLu system as an example of infrastructure that could improve connectivity and investment opportunities along Kenya’s coast.
AfriTrade Consulting Group Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, Caroline Saroni, said successful delivery would require effective coordination of regulatory, licensing and commercial requirements.
Saroni said her firm had been involved in connecting VSEZ and INDOI and had provided advice on transaction structuring, regulatory approvals, compliance and onboarding.
She said the project could help attract investment not only to the coastal region and Vipingo SEZ but also to the wider LAPSSET corridor.
Who is behind the LuLu cable?
INDOI, headquartered in Mauritius, is the developer, owner and commercial operator of the LuLu Coastal Cable System.
Blue Trade Investments Limited is the Kenyan investment partner focused on opportunities in the information and communications technology sector.
Kingdom Bank, a subsidiary of Co-operative Bank of Kenya, provides financial services to individuals and businesses, with a focus on micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
If completed as planned, the LuLu system will add a dedicated coastal layer to Kenya’s digital infrastructure, linking major economic locations while providing additional capacity and route redundancy for businesses and other users that depend on reliable high-speed connectivity.
