8m homes to be linked to internet using Kenya Power infrastructure

The government targets to link 8.4 million homes to internet access by pushing fibre optic cables through Kenya power lines by 2027.
Speaking during the Annual National Public Key Infrastructure (NPKI) Forum 2024 held in Nairobi on Tuesday, Telecommunications Principal Secretary Edward Kisiang’ani said that the government will take fibre optic cable to rural areas using the existing Kenya Power infrastructure.
“If we work very hard using the power line and push the fibre optic cables into the meter through Kenya power instead of laying the cables we can meet our objective of reaching 8.4 Million homesteads by the year 2027,” said Kisiang’ani.
He affirmed that the state shifted to the model of pushing the fibre optic cable through the power lines as opposed to digging trenches to lay fibre in order to save on cost expenses and hasten the cable installation process.
“When we rolled out the fibre optic cables by digging trenches across the country the contractors initially given the job charged us high rates on just a single kilometer of fibre but then we realized we have the Kenya power that can help us move into more homesteads,” he added.
PS Kisiang’ani stated that the project, estimated to cost KSh10 billion from the Universal Service Fund (USF), will help connect more Kenyans to internet access through a government-to-government agreement with the power utility firm.
The USF was set up in 2009, when the government began collecting levies from telecom operators to facilitate ICT connectivity in both unserved and underserved areas across the country.
The fund, managed by the Universal Service Advisory Council (USAC) under the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), has seen the CA roll out ICT projects in areas that previously could not access these services.
The government rolled out an extra 100,000 km of fiber optic cable in July 2023 as part of the last-mile internet connectivity project across the country to be completed by 2027.
Agencies