NAIROBI, Kenya– Meta Platforms has entered into partnership with Safaricom on a $2.9 billion (Sh379.9 billion) fibre-optic cable project connecting Oman and Mombasa, in a deal set to expand Kenya’s role as a regional internet hub.
Safaricom is named as the lead proponent in the venture, branded the Daraja Fibre Optic Cable, under a submarine infrastructure partnership with Facebook.
“The Daraja Project is expected to go live in 2026, delivering much-needed internet capacity and enhanced reliability between Oman and Kenya, supplementing the fast-growing demand in both countries,” states the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) lodged with the National Environment Management Authority (Nema).
“The project will underpin the further growth of 4G, 5G, and fixed broadband access for hundreds of thousands of people.”
The cable will consist of 24 fibre pairs, well above the conventional eight to 16, giving the system far greater capacity than existing links.
Nema granted Safaricom approval in August to land the cable at Nyali beach in Mombasa, with an extension planned into Tanzanian waters.
The initiative aligns with Meta’s ongoing build-out of a 50,000-kilometre global subsea network, which includes the 2Africa and Pearls project spanning Africa, Europe, and Asia.
For Kenya, the Oman–Mombasa connection will provide a crucial alternative route after repeated service interruptions from undersea cable cuts in the Red Sea and the East African corridor.
The development reinforces Mombasa’s status as a landing point for multiple systems, adding to Africa-1, PEACE, and the DARE1 expansion.
