Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) has developed a fibre-optic business alongside its core petroleum transportation and storage operations, using existing infrastructure to provide wholesale connectivity to telecommunications and network operators.
The business generated KSh349.9 million in income in FY2024/25, according to historical financial statements. KPC’s latest full-year results show total company revenue of KSh42.98 billion and profit after tax of KSh11.6 billion for FY2025/26, highlighting the wider financial context in which the fibre venture operates.
KPC’s fibre business uses corridors occupied by its petroleum pipelines to accommodate telecommunications cables. The company leases dark fibre to customers that install their own transmission equipment and use the cables to carry data. This places KPC in the wholesale infrastructure market rather than the retail internet market, where providers sell connectivity packages directly to households.
The model allows KPC to generate additional income from physical corridors originally developed for petroleum transportation, while telecommunications companies gain access to fibre routes without having to construct every section of a network independently.
A key development came in September 2024, when KPC and Syokinet Solutions activated a fibre link between Mombasa and Nairobi with a stated capacity of 1.6 terabits per second (Tbps). The connection demonstrated how KPC’s existing pipeline routes could support high-capacity data transmission between two of Kenya’s major economic centres.
KPC’s fibre-optic customer list includes Safaricom, Airtel, Wananchi Telecom, Jamii Telecommunications Limited, Syokinet, SEACOM, Bayobab, Rain Communications Limited, BCS and Savanna Fiber Limited. These companies operate across different parts of the connectivity market, including telecommunications services, wholesale connectivity and network infrastructure.
The customer list establishes the range of businesses associated with the venture, although it does not disclose the amount of capacity leased by each customer or the revenue generated from individual relationships. Continued growth will depend on attracting demand, increasing capacity utilisation and securing recurring wholesale income.
Historical financial statements show fibre-optic income rising from KSh156.6 million in FY2020/21 to KSh349.9 million in FY2024/25. Revenue increased to KSh263.7 million in FY2022/23 and KSh352.1 million in FY2023/24 before easing slightly in FY2024/25.
KPC’s fibre income represents a small share of its overall revenue, and the available historical figures should not be confused with the company’s FY2025/26 results. The contribution of the fibre business to the latest year’s performance has not been established by the figures provided.
Kenya’s expanding broadband market offers a potential source of demand for wholesale infrastructure. Communications Authority statistics reported by TechTrendsKE showed fixed internet subscriptions reaching 2.84 million by June 2026, including 1.57 million fibre connections. This growth provides context for the network requirements of operators expanding their services, although retail broadband growth does not automatically translate into additional revenue for KPC.
KPC’s 2025/26–2029/30 strategic plan identifies diversification and increased uptake of its fibre-optic infrastructure as part of its growth agenda. The company’s IPO prospectus also identified a fibre-optic cable project expected to be completed in 2026, with revenue anticipated from that year. The commercial impact of additional infrastructure will depend on delivery and customer uptake.
KPC’s fibre venture illustrates how existing infrastructure can support activities beyond its core petroleum operations. Its next phase of growth will depend on expanding wholesale demand, improving utilisation and converting Kenya’s connectivity needs into sustainable revenue.
