The Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology, through the ICT Authority recently launched the construction of 630 kilometre high-speed fibre optic cable, at Nadapal – a community in Rift Valley Kenya near the border of South Sudan.
The Sh3 billion project is jointly funded by the Kenyan government and the World Bank. Besides the construction of fibre optic cable, World Bank will also finance the construction of 338 kilometre road from Lokichar to the border of South Sudan and build Kainuk Bridge which will enable all-season transport between Turkana and West Pokot counties.
The two projects are part of Sh54 billion South Sudan-Eastern Africa Regional Transport, Trade and Development Facilitation Program (EARTTDFP) that connects Kenya and South Sudan through the laying of a fibre-optic cable and construction of a superhighway.
In an article placed on ICT Authority’s website, Turkana County Governor Josephat Nanok said that upon completion, the project will promote cross-border trade with South Sudan and also benefit communities, government agencies and businesses in the North Rift region.
Representing the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, Eng. James Kungu said that the project which has been under implementation from November 2015 is set for completion in December 2021.
During the ceremony, the ICT Authority CEO Dr. Katherine Getao said that the Authority has completed the rehabilitation of fibre optic cable from Eldoret to Nadapal, with part of the route being completed using a wireless solution.
She also stated that with a speed of up to 100 gigabytes per second (GB/s), internet connectivity will be used by the towns and facilities along the fibre cable corridor. This includes hospitals, government offices, schools, and telecommunication operators in Trans Nzoia, Uasin Gishu, Turkana, and West Pokot
ICT Authority Chairman Prof. Fredrick Owino said that they were delighted to successfully complete the project that was designed to deliver socio-economic transformation to North Western Kenya and to commence the main build which will develop a huge information highway from the heart of Kenya to the border of South Sudan.
The World Bank representative, Eng. James Theuri noted that as a development partner, the activity on rehabilitation of the FOC is complete and ICT services restored in the four Counties.
