• Kenya has opened a US$390 million tender for tech firms to build high-speed internet for over 1,000 rural schools, clinics, and offices.
• Funded by the World Bank, the project ensures a transparent bidding process and reliable payments for the selected contractors.
• Bids are due by October 1, 2025, with the project's construction phase scheduled to start in January 2026.

Kenya is leveraging its status as a regional technology leader to launch one of East Africa's most ambitious rural infrastructure projects, opening a US$390 million tender that invites global technology firms to bid on a sweeping digital build-out. The country's ICT Authority announced the initiative on Tuesday, formally kicking off a competitive process to connect more than a thousand of its most remote schools, health clinics, and government offices to high-speed internet, a direct move to address the economic disparity between its bustling cities and underserved rural regions.

The project is anchored by a substantial credit from the World Bank, providing a secure financial foundation that is expected to de-risk the investment for private contractors. This public funding is designed to act as a catalyst, with the government anticipating it will attract an additional US$100 million in private-sector investment for ancillary services and future expansions. This blended financing model pushes the total value of the opportunity toward half a billion dollars, signaling a significant capital injection into the country's digital backbone.

This tender is the foundational pillar of the Kenya Digital Economy Acceleration Project (KDEAP), a comprehensive five-year national strategy. The program aims to move beyond basic connectivity, using the new infrastructure as a platform to enhance digital government services, foster tech entrepreneurship outside of Nairobi, and equip a new generation of Kenyans with critical digital skills. By focusing on public institutions, the government intends to immediately demonstrate the value of connectivity through improved telehealth, online education, and more efficient public administration.

For technology service providers, the scope of work is extensive and covers the full lifecycle of network deployment. The contracts will involve laying a resilient terrestrial fibre-optic network, erecting a grid of 4G and 5G-ready telecommunication towers, and installing last-mile solutions like fixed wireless and public Wi-Fi hotspots. Crucially, the tender also includes the operation of these networks and the implementation of digital literacy programs, creating long-term service revenue opportunities beyond the initial construction.

To assure international bidders of a level playing field, the entire procurement process will be managed under the World Bank's stringent governance framework. This mandates a transparent, open bidding process, includes robust anti-corruption safeguards, and ties contractor payments to the verified achievement of project milestones. This structure is intended to attract top-tier global firms by providing a clear and secure framework for a project of this scale and complexity.

The timeline for the project is aggressive, reflecting the government's urgency to accelerate its digital agenda. Bids must be submitted to the ICTA by October 1, 2025, with the authority planning to announce the successful contractors before the end of the year. Fieldwork is slated to commence in January 2026, marking a rapid transition from planning to execution for an initiative poised to reshape the economic landscape for millions of Kenyans fundamentally.

Hikmatu Bilali