Engineer John Kipchumba Tanui, Kenya's principal secretary: department of ICT and digital Economy.

Kenya is pursuing Malaysia's private sector for investment in its ambitious Digital Superhighway plan.

Kenya's Digital Highway initiative, which aims to develop a digital economy, includes the deployment of 100,000 kilometres of optic fibre and thousands of Wi-Fi hotspots to connect public institutions and residences in the East African country, among other objectives.

John Kipchumba Tanui, the principal secretary for information and communications technology and digital economy, is heading the Malaysian investment campaign.

He is on an official visit to Malaysia, where he has met with private sector executives and Kenya's High Commissioner to Malaysia, Ekitela Moru.

In addition to engaging with some of Malaysia's technological companies, Tanui acknowledged visiting the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) on Monday.

MDEC is a national strategic programme launched by the Malaysian government to encourage local businesses and talent to take a leading role in the global fourth industrial revolution and digital economy.

"We had insightful discussions on Malaysia's digital economy and opportunities for partnership and collaboration," Tanui said.

He noted that the meeting with MDEC executives was attended by Malaysian start-up companies interested in investigating potential in Kenya and the African market.

Tanui said: "The companies had the opportunity to present their tech solutions, highlighting their interest in the Kenyan digital economy space."