• LuLu is planned as a roughly 500km coastal cable linking Mombasa and Lamu through five landing points
  • The project combines subsea and terrestrial routes and is targeting service in the second quarter of 2028, subject to contract execution

The fact

INDOI, Blue Trade Investments and their partners announced plans for the LuLu Coastal Cable System at ITW Africa. The roughly 500km system would run along Kenya's Indian Ocean coast between Mombasa and Lamu. Five landing points are planned at Mombasa, Vipingo Special Economic Zone, Kilifi, Malindi and Lamu. Alongside the subsea cable, the project includes a parallel terrestrial route intended to provide an alternative path if one part of the network is disrupted.

INDOI is leading development of the system and is expected to own and operate it. Blue Trade is the Kenyan landing party and will handle the local regulatory interface and delivery work. Other partners named in the announcement include ARISE Integrated Industrial Platforms, AfriTrade Consulting Group and Kingdom Bank. LuLu is expected to be ready for service in the second quarter of 2028, subject to contract execution. The announcement describes a planned system rather than completed infrastructure, and does not say that construction has begun or that the full project financing has been secured.

The assessment

Five landing points would give operators along Kenya's coast more places to connect to the system than a simple link between Mombasa and Lamu. For networks serving Vipingo, Kilifi or Malindi, that could provide another way to move traffic along the coast once LuLu is in service.

The planned terrestrial route is also important because LuLu is being presented as a protected system. But having two routes does not automatically mean they are fully independent. If the subsea and terrestrial paths eventually share the same landing equipment, local fibre, or another vulnerable section, a single failure could still affect both. Customers will need to see how the routes are actually built before judging the level of protection they provide.

For BTW readers, LuLu could add both new coastal access points and another route between them, but those benefits remain part of the project plan for now. Route maps, landing arrangements and construction progress will show whether the two paths provide the separation operators would expect from a resilient service. The second-quarter 2028 date remains a target subject to contract execution.

What to watch

Watch for signed landing and supply agreements, permits, and the start of construction. More detailed maps of the subsea and terrestrial routes will be especially important because they will show where the two paths remain separate and where they may share infrastructure. Progress towards commissioning will determine whether the project meets its 2028 service target.