The cables under Mombasa, tracked.
Every international system at Kenya's coast: what is live, what is landed but not yet counted, and what is only announced. The same discipline as the capacity pipeline, a cable joins the live count when it carries traffic, not when it makes headlines.
7
Live systems · in service at Mombasa
1
Landed, RFS pending · not counted as live
2
Announced / planned · incl. first coastal route
Sep 2026
Dataset verified · monthly sweep
The full slate
Sorted by status, then by ready-for-service date. Design capacity is the operator-reported figure and is usually far above lit capacity, which is not published and is deliberately not estimated here.
In serviceCarrying traffic on the Kenya segment
TEAMSThe East African Marine System2009
Mombasa · Telkom Kenya on behalf of the Government of Kenya · 1.28 Tbps at launch, subsequently upgraded
Kenya's first submarine cable. Cut international bandwidth costs by over 90% and connected Kenya to the UAE and onwards to Europe and Asia.
High confidence · verified 2026-09full explainer
SEACOM2009
Mombasa · Privately owned (SEACOM)
Connects South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania and Kenya to Europe and India. Played a crucial role in breaking East Africa's bandwidth monopoly.
High confidence · verified 2026-09full explainer
EASSyEastern Africa Submarine System2010
Mombasa (branch) · 21-member consortium · Upgraded to 48 Tbps (reported)
Runs from South Africa to Sudan with a Mombasa branch, connecting to Europe via multiple landing points.
High confidence · verified 2026-09full explainer
LION2Lower Indian Ocean Network 22012
Mombasa · Orange-led consortium
Links Mombasa to Madagascar and Réunion; ready for service since April 2012.
High confidence · verified 2026-09full explainer
DARE1Djibouti Africa Regional Express2021
Mombasa · Djibouti Telecom-led consortium
In service since February 2021, connecting Djibouti, Mogadishu and Mombasa; designed to add diversity for landlocked East African nations.
High confidence · verified 2026-09full explainer
PEACEPakistan and East Africa Connecting Europe2022
Mombasa (branch) · Huawei Marine Networks-built, PEACE consortium
Provides a new route to Europe via Pakistan and the Middle East, with a branch landing in Mombasa.
Medium confidence · verified 2026-09full explainer
2Africa2024
Mombasa · Mtwapa · Meta-led consortium · 180 Tbps design capacity
One of the largest subsea projects globally. Its Kenya segment went live in June 2024; the core system was completed in November 2025.
High confidence · verified 2026-09full explainer
Landed, RFS pendingAshore, but no ready-for-service date announced
Africa-1no RFS date
Mombasa · Telecom Egypt-led consortium
The cable has come ashore at Mombasa but its ready-for-service date has not been announced, so DC254 does not count it among the live systems yet.
Medium confidence · verified 2026-09full explainer
AnnouncedFormally announced build, host or consortium named
Darajano RFS date
Mombasa (planned) · Meta-backed, hosted by Safaricom
Announced October 2025 to run from Salalah in Oman to Mombasa with 24 fibre pairs. In development; does not change the live count.
Medium confidence · verified 2026-09full explainer
PlannedAnnounced intent, pre-contract or pre-construction
LuLuLuLu coastal cable systemno RFS date
Mombasa to Lamu coastal corridor: Vipingo SEZ, Kilifi, Malindi · INDOI Ltd (IOX) and Blue Trade Investments consortium · Up to 60 Tbps per fibre pair, 144 pairs (announced)
Announced at ITW Africa 2026 (September 2026): a ~500 km coastal diversity route pairing a subsea span with a protected terrestrial path. Readiness-for-service target Q2 2028, subject to contract execution; no supplier named and construction not started at announcement.
Medium confidence · verified 2026-09full explainer
The counting rule
The live count changes on ready-for-service, not on landing. Africa-1 is ashore but not counted until an RFS date is published; Daraja and LuLu are tracked so the pipeline is visible, never counted. Where a claim and the evidence part ways, the row says so. Sources per row; full methodology on the linked explainers.