Kenya launches new coastal cable system

Kenya’s coastal digital infrastructure is set for a major transformation following the launch of the LuLu Coastal Cable System, the country’s first fully protected coastal submarine cable network, at ITW Africa 2026.

Developed by INDOI Ltd, Blue Trade Investments Limited, ARISE Integrated Industrial Platforms, AfriTrade Consulting Group and Kingdom Bank Limited, the system will connect five strategic landing points along Kenya’s 500-kilometre Indian Ocean coastline, stretching from Mombasa to Lamu.

According to a statement from INDOI Ltd on Wednesday, the landing points include Mombasa, Vipingo Special Economic Zone (VSEZ), Kilifi and Malindi.

LuLu combines a submarine cable laid along the ocean floor with a parallel, protected terrestrial route. Its dual-path architecture is designed to provide greater resilience, redundancy and network availability for governments, international operators, data-centre companies and other mission-critical users.

The firm stated that the system will deploy dense wavelength division multiplexing technology in the 1550-nanometre window, with 144 fibre pairs and a design capacity of up to 60 terabits per second per fibre pair.

He disclosed LuLu Coastal Cable System was designed to operate for 25 years, with centralised network management, and was expected to be ready for service in the second quarter of 2028, subject to the execution of contracts.

The founder and Chief Executive Officer of INDOI Ltd, Arunachalam Kandasamy, said the project would address a longstanding infrastructure gap along Kenya’s coast.

“East Africa is not a market of the future — it is a market of right now,” Kandasamy said. “Kenya’s coastal corridor, from Mombasa to Lamu, is one of the most dynamic, strategically significant and commercially compelling stretches of coastline on the planet. And yet, until today, it has never had a single, unified, fully protected digital infrastructure system designed specifically for it.”

He said LuLu would provide a permanent digital backbone for the coastal corridor.

The statement disclosed that Blue Trade Investments Limited, INDOI’s Kenya-registered infrastructure partner, will serve as the designated cable landing party, regulatory interface and operational delivery partner for the project in Kenya.

It added that the firm’s relationships with Kenyan regulators, coastal communities and government institutions will support the project’s local implementation and long-term operations.

“The cable’s landing at Vipingo SEZ is expected to expand the zone’s investment potential beyond conventional manufacturing and logistics.

“Direct submarine cable connectivity within the special economic zone could support the development of hyperscale data centres, cloud-service regional nodes, business-process outsourcing and global business-services campuses, fintech and payment-processing platforms, cybersecurity operations centres and internet-of-things-enabled manufacturing services,” he emphaised.

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The country head of ARISE IIP Kenya, George Olaka,claimed the cable would strengthen Vipingo’s ambition to become an integrated industrial and digital platform.

“Vipingo SEZ was never intended to be a conventional industrial zone,” Olaka said. “We are building it as a platform where industry, logistics, value addition and digital infrastructure can reinforce each other.”

He said LuLu would improve the zone’s ability to attract technology-driven companies alongside manufacturers, helping to position Kenya’s coast as an industrial and digital growth corridor.

The Vipingo SEZ is being developed as a major industrial and digital platform with the potential to mobilise up to $3bn in investment.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Kingdom Bank Limited, Anthony Mburu, noted that the project reflected the growing role of digital infrastructure in driving investment and economic activity.

“Blue Trade Investments Limited is a valued client of Kingdom Bank, and we are pleased to support its growth and expansion,” Mburu said. “The LuLu Cable System highlights the increasing importance of digital infrastructure in driving investment, connectivity and economic activity along Kenya’s coast.”

Chief executive officer and executive director of AfriTrade Consulting Group, Dr Caroline Saroni, stated that the project’s success would depend on effective regulatory, licensing and commercial execution.

“A project of LuLu’s ambition succeeds only when vision is matched by careful execution,” Saroni said, adding that AfriTrade had helped introduce VSEZ and INDOI and advised on transaction structuring, regulatory clearance, compliance and onboarding.

She said LuLu could help unlock investment across Kenya’s coast, Vipingo SEZ and the LAPSSET corridor.

INDOI, headquartered in Mauritius, is the developer, owner and commercial operator of the LuLu Cable System.

Blue Trade Investments Ltd is a Kenyan investment company focused on emerging opportunities in the ICT sector.

Kingdom Bank Limited is a subsidiary of The Co-operative Bank of Kenya, which provides financial services to individuals and businesses, with a particular focus on micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.