Bayobab launches Uganda-Kenya fibre route to Mombasa

Bayobab Uganda, a subsidiary of MTN Group, has announced the successful completion of its newest and most direct fibre optic route, linking Malaba to Kampala

As the digital infrastructure arm of MTN, Bayobab plays a leading role in transforming connectivity across the East African Corridor. This critical infrastructure milestone reflects MTN’s mission to extend connectivity to all by expanding its fibre reach across the markets it serves.

Spanning 260 kilometres, the strategic fibre route stretches from Kampala through Tororo to Malaba, creating a vital digital bridge between Uganda and Kenya. Completed between December 2024 and February 2025, this route ensures robust, high-capacity connectivity from Uganda’s capital to Mombasa’s subsea cable landing stations, leveraging the recent activation of the Mombasa–Malaba/Busia link in Kenya. Together, they form the complete East African digital backbone from Kampala to Mombasa.

During the unveiling in Kampala, Juliet Nsubuga, managing director of Bayobab Uganda, reiterated the company’s commitment to advancing technological development in Uganda and across the region.

“In collaboration with the Uganda Railway, we leveraged the existing rail network to deploy fibre, enhancing connectivity and providing high-speed internet access to communities along the line, connecting key routes between Kampala and Malaba at the Kenyan border - and beyond,” said Nsubuga. “This new route caters to the needs of international and national technology and digital players, as well as telecoms and ISPs that serve communities, demonstrating our commitment to connecting Africa.”

Connectivity route launched

This latest development builds on Bayobab’s broader infrastructure portfolio, adding to MTN’s existing fibre deployments, including the Busia–Jinja–Mabira–Kampala, Malaba–Kamuli–Kayunga–Jinja–Kampala, and Malaba–Tororo–Lira–Karuma–Masindi–Luweero–Kampala corridors.

Given Uganda’s landlocked geography, access to fast and reliable international internet depends heavily on cross-border fibre. The newly inaugurated route offers the most direct connection between Kampala and the Kenya–Uganda border, capitalising on Bayobab Kenya’s infrastructure to reach subsea cable facilities in Mombasa. This introduces a valuable alternative to legacy fibre systems, enhancing route diversity, lowering latency, and boosting network resilience.

Julianne Mweheire, director of industry affairs and content development at the Uganda Communications Commission, welcomed the advancement, noting its alignment with the country’s national objectives.“The new route adds to the existing fibre network, connecting Uganda to the Kenya border and should increase on the already existing redundancy of connectivity access for Uganda as a whole. This launch aligns perfectly with Uganda’s national agenda to digitise services, expand connectivity, and close the gap between urban and rural access.”

Sylvia Mulinge, CEO of MTN Uganda, highlighted the route’s transformative potential in unlocking digital opportunities for all Ugandans. “Imagine a startup in Lira testing its mobile app on cloud platforms without delays. A farmer in Kayunga checking real-time weather patterns to guide planting decisions. A remote school in Kisoro livestreaming science lessons from a national university. This is what a modern connected life looks like, and this is what we are enabling,” Mulinge said.

With over 1 terabyte of capacity, the new Bayobab fibre route connects major data centres in Kampala — including Raxio, Airtel House, and MTN Uganda — facilitating improved interconnection for service providers and hyperscalers. It addresses rising demand for reliable connectivity from telecom operators, ISPs, and global tech firms.

Bayobab continues to invest in high-impact, secure infrastructure projects that support digital transformation and economic growth. This latest cross-border fibre link underscores the company’s commitment to enabling Africa’s digital future by connecting communities, markets, and enterprises across the continent.