Kenya has allocated more than Sh16 billion (US$123.7 million) for its flagship project to expand fibre network coverage nationwide in the upcoming budget.
A government spokesperson disclosed the figure ahead of the official 2026/2027 Financial Year Budget Statement, which will be presented to Parliament on Thursday by National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi.
Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura, speaking during his weekly address, said this allocation and the wider budget reflected the government’s commitment to economic transformation, job creation and improved service delivery.
“The government has allocated Sh16.3 billion to the digital Superhighway programme, accelerating connectivity, innovation and access to digital services across the country,” he said.
Officially established and announced by the government in 2023, the Digital Superhighway project seeks to strengthen the East African country’s ICT backbone and prioritises the laying of 100 000 kilometres of fibre-optic cable.
This expanded infrastructure is expected to create 25 000 public Wi-Fi hotspots and digital village smart hubs in each of Kenya’s 1 450 wards.
The project is backed by public-private partnerships and key investments, including a $390 million World Bank programme known as the Kenya Digital Economy Acceleration Project.
Also, during his weekly briefing, Mwaura defended the government’s divisive Finance Bill.
He dismissed claims that the legislation would result in new taxes.
The government spokesperson said the Bill would, in fact, reduce mobile phone taxes from 56% to 25% while allocating substantial funding for national development.
There has been public outcry among consumers, digital finance players and telecoms operators.
The Bill proposes a 25% excise duty on the value of mobile phones, which critics argue will sharply increase the retail price of smartphones.
Civil society organisations and analysts have raised concerns about data privacy and surveillance risks because the government would require a mechanism to track individual devices in order to enforce a tax at the point of activation.
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