Kenya’s push to become East Africa’s digital hub got a boost this week as Chinese tech giant FiberHome International showcased how its decade-long bet on the country is paying off from lighting up government offices in rural Kwale in a single day to turning oil pipelines into smart security sensors.
Speaking at the FiberHome World Tour Workshop 2026 in Nairobi,, Friday, Principal Secretary for Broadcasting and Telecommunications Stephen Isaboke said the partnership was proof that foreign investment can deliver real, visible impact for ordinary Kenyans.
“FiberHome’s continued investment in Kenya’s digital ecosystem is contributing to connectivity, job creation, skills development and local innovation,” Isaboke said, addressing more than 100 delegates from across the telecoms sector.
Also in the room: FiberHome International President Kevin Liu, Southern Sahara Africa CEO Keller Yun, and FiberHome Africa CTO Michel Wang part of a growing list of Chinese tech leaders betting big on Kenya’s digital future.
FiberHome’s business in Kenya has grown sixfold since it arrived in 2017, from $5 million to about $30 million a year, according to the company.
“This growth reflects FiberHome’s expanding footprint and deepening partnership with Kenya’s telecommunications and digital infrastructure sector, and we look to establishing our Africa hub here in Kenya” said Keller Yun, the company’s Southern Sahara Africa CEO, crediting a model that puts Kenyan companies not FiberHome’s own crews in charge of building the networks.
That approach has already delivered results: 23 government offices across five sub-counties in Kwale, from Kinango to Lungalunga, got same-day Wi-Fi and e-government access under a recent rollout. Along Kenya’s oil pipelines, the firm’s fibre-optic sensors now give Kenya Pipeline Company round-the-clock alerts on illegal digging and fuel siphoning without needing a single power cable in the ground.
Beyond hardware, FiberHome has been training Kenyan students, engineers and officials at its technology college in China, and plans to open an East Africa Research and Development Centre a move Isaboke said would help build local capacity in artificial intelligence, smart computing, digitisation and satellite communications.
“Kenya remains committed to embracing innovation that strengthens our digital infrastructure and supports our digital economy,” Isaboke said, pointing to where global networks are headed next: satellite connectivity, all-optical networks, intelligent computing, quantum-safe technology and eventually 6G.
Kenya already boasts 58.5 million data subscriptions and smartphone penetration of 83.5 per cent. Under the government’s Digital Superhighway plan, the target now is 100,000 kilometres of fibre and 1,450 digital hubs nationwide, part of the wider Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.
Isaboke said FiberHome’s newer technology, including solar-powered network sites and high-speed subsea and cross-lake cable links, is speeding up the rollout across the country.
“Kenya welcomes investments and partnerships that build local talent, advance technology, and position the country as a leading digital hub in Africa,” he said.
The two sides agreed to explore joint pilot projects in rural broadband, 5G and green energy, with both government and FiberHome pointing to shared infrastructure — like fibre, power and telecom towers — as a way to bring down internet costs for everyday Kenyans.
