
KAMPALA, UGANDA | THE INDEPENDENT | Bayobab Uganda, the digital infrastructure division of MTN Group, officially launched a significant new fibre optic route utilising the Uganda Railway corridor between Kampala and Malaba. Hailed as the shortest and fastest connection, the Uganda Railway National Long Distance (NLD) route spans 260 kilometres, establishing a vital digital link between Uganda’s capital and the Kenyan border.
This strategic infrastructure project, completed between December 2024 and February 2025, is a cornerstone of MTN’s commitment to expanding connectivity across its operational markets. By leveraging the existing railway network in collaboration with Uganda Railway, Bayobab has created a high-capacity, reliable pathway for internet traffic.
The new route seamlessly connects Kampala to Bayobab’s subsea cable landing stations in Mombasa, Kenya, capitalising on the recently activated Mombasa to Malaba/Busia fibre route.
This integration completes a crucial section of East Africa’s digital backbone, enhancing regional connectivity and providing a robust alternative to existing fibre networks.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony held in Kampala on May 07, Juliet Nsubuga, the Managing Director of Bayobab Uganda, said that Bayobab Uganda heeded the call for technological transformation across the nation and the region to benefit its communities with reliable and accessible connectivity to the internet.
“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, telecoms and ISPs that serve the communities demonstrating our belief that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern, connected life.”
As a landlocked nation, Uganda’s access to high-speed internet and global digital infrastructure relies heavily on cross-border connectivity. This new route provides the shortest and newest connection from Kampala to the Kenya–Uganda border, leveraging the Bayobab Kenya infrastructure to reach Mombasa subsea landing points.
The route serves as a powerful alternative to existing fibre systems, offering route diversity and significantly improved network reliability through low latency and increased resilience.
Speaking on behalf of Hon. Nyombi Tembo, the Executive Director of Uganda Communications Commission, Julianne Mweheire welcomed the milestone. He stated that: “The new route adds to the existing fibre network, connecting Uganda to the Kenya border and should increase 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, the MTN CEO, affirmed that the launch of the Kampala–Malaba Fibre Optic Route is a bold statement of MTN’s vision of ensuring that every Ugandan, wherever they live, experiences the benefits of a modern connected life.
“Imagine a startup in Lira testing its mobile app on cloud platforms without delays. A farmer in Kayunga checks real-time weather patterns to guide planting decisions. A remote school in Kisoro is 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.
Bayobab, the digital infrastructure unit of Africa’s largest telecom group, MTN, is building out pan-African fibre infrastructure to meet rising demand from telecom operators, internet service providers, and global technology firms. The new route supports over 1 terabyte (TB) of capacity and offers low-latency, high-redundancy connectivity to key data centres in Kampala, including Raxio, Airtel House, and MTN Uganda, enabling improved and seamless interconnection options for service providers and hyperscalers.
Bayobab’s infrastructure opens up new opportunities for hyperscalers, cloud providers and enterprise customers to operate and invest in Uganda. The company reiterated its long-term goal of enabling Africa’s digital economy by connecting people, businesses, and markets across the continent.