Kenya ICTA Opens Tender to Expand National Fibre and Cross-Border Connectivity

Kenya’s Information and Communications Technology Authority (ICTA)  has launched an international tender to expand the country’s national fibre backbone and strengthen cross-border and metropolitan connectivity under the World Bank-backed Kenya Digital Economy Acceleration Project (KDEAP).

The tender, referenced KE-ICTA-538567-NC-RFB, will establish framework agreements for infrastructure expansion across two lots. Lot 1 covers national backbone links, while Lot 2 focuses on cross-border and metro links.

Eng. John Tanui, Principal Secretary in Kenya’s State Department for ICT and the Digital Economy, said the initiative is expected to improve the resilience and redundancy of the country’s digital infrastructure. The project will also support the connection of additional public institutions and help expand affordable internet access by enabling private operators to connect more effectively with end-users.

The procurement will be financed through USD 390 million in World Bank credits under Credits 7289-KE and 7290-KE. ICTA will serve as the sole user of the closed, single-user framework agreement, with multiple service providers selected for each lot.

Under Lot 1, ICTA plans to appoint a minimum of five and a maximum of 20 qualified providers for national backbone links. Lot 2 will have between five and eight qualified providers for cross-border and metro connectivity. The framework agreements will initially run for three years, with an option to extend them for up to two additional years.

Bidders are required to submit separate technical and financial parts under a two-envelope procurement process. The technical evaluation will account for 80% of the assessment, comprising performance requirements at 52%, company profile at 30%, and implementation and staffing at 18%.

Subsequent call-off contracts under the framework will be allocated through a Multi-Round Reverse Auction (MRRA) conducted on a designated electronic auction platform. Providers will compete for subsidies on designated routes, with bidding starting at or below the applicable Maximum Allowable Subsidy reserve price.

ICTA has set October 29, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. East African Time as the deadline for bid submission and opening at Telposta Towers in Nairobi. Bids will remain valid until March 30, 2027.

The procurement also includes requirements relating to World Bank anti-corruption standards, beneficial ownership disclosure, and environmental and social safeguards.

The fibre expansion forms part of Kenya’s wider digital infrastructure strategy, which targets the deployment of 100,000 kilometres of national fibre optic cable. Public-sector fibre coverage has increased from 22,486 kilometres in 2022 to more than 30,400 kilometres, with the latest framework tender intended to support further expansion of the country’s digital connectivity infrastructure.