Kenya Data Center Market - Investment Analysis & Growth Opportunities 2026-2031

The Kenya data center market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 20.27% from 2025 to 2031.

Currently, Kenya has 7 operational submarine cables: 2Africa, Djibouti Africa Regional Express 1 (DARE 1), Eastern Africa Submarine System (EASSy), Lower Indian Ocean Network 2 (LION2), PEACE Cable, SEACOM/Tata TGN-Eurasia, and The East African Marine System (TEAMS). The country is witnessing investments in two more submarine cables, Africa-1 and Daraja, which will significantly enhance connectivity across the country and are expected to become operational by 2026-2027.

KENYA DATA CENTER MARKET - KEY HIGHLIGHTS

• Kenya has about 13 operational colocation data centers. Most colocation data centers are being developed according to Tier III standards.
• Nairobi is the top data center destination in the country. It continues to be Kenya’s leading hub for data center expansion, marked by a concentrated growth in advanced facilities, hyperscale data centers, and dedicated cloud regions. There are 8 existing and 7 upcoming data centers in the city, as of September 2025.
• The Kenyan government actively promotes renewable energy sources as part of its strategy to attract data center investments. Initiatives such as pilot projects that allow data centers to purchase renewable energy directly align with global trends toward sustainability.
• In July 2025, it was announced that the Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), the largest electricity provider in Kenya, had installed a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) to power its modular data center in Nairobi. This BESS is designed to supply stable electricity during periods of low grid demand, ensuring overall resilience.

WHY SHOULD YOU BUY THIS RESEARCH?

• Market size available in the investment, area, power capacity, and the Kenya colocation market revenue.
• An assessment of the data center investment in Kenya by colocation, hyperscale, and enterprise operators.
• Data center investments in the area (square feet) and power capacity (MW) across cities in the country.
• A detailed study of the existing Kenya data center market landscape, an in-depth industry analysis, and insightful predictions about the Kenyan data center market size during the forecast period.
• Snapshot of existing and upcoming third-party data center facilities in Kenya
• Facilities Covered (Existing): 13
• Facilities Identified (Upcoming): 9
• Coverage: 4+ Locations
• Existing vs. Upcoming (Data Center Area)
• Existing vs. Upcoming (IT Load Capacity)
• Data center colocation market in Kenya
• Colocation Market Revenue & Forecast (2022-2031)
• Retail & Wholesale Colocation Revenue (2022-2031)
• Retail & Wholesale Colocation Pricing
• Kenya data center landscape market investments are classified into IT, power, cooling, and general construction services, with sizing and forecast.
• A comprehensive analysis of the latest trends, growth rate, potential opportunities, growth restraints, and prospects for the industry.
• Business overview and product offerings of prominent IT infrastructure providers, construction contractors, support infrastructure providers, and investors operating in the industry.
• A transparent research methodology and the analysis of the demand and supply aspects of the market.

KENYA DATA CENTER MARKET VENDOR LANDSCAPE

In the current landscape of colocation investors, several established companies play a significant role. Notable players include Africa Data Centres, iColo (Digital Realty), iXAfrica Data Centres, Safaricom and Telkom Kenya.

In September 2025, iXAfrica Data Centres secured financing from Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) to expand the NBOX1 facility. This data center was backed by a $50 million investment from Helios.

New Entrants includes Nxtra by Airtel, Cloudoon and G42. In September 2025, India’s Airtel, through its Nxtra, started construction of its data center in Nairobi. The facility is likely to witness an investment of 19 billion KES ($147 million). The data center is likely to be developed in two phases and is set to be operational by Q1 2027

In March 2024, G42 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a Kenyan data center developer, EcoCloud, to build a mega green data center campus in Kenya. The first phase will provide an initial IT capacity of 100 MW. Over the long term, the project aspires to scale up to 1GW capacity, making it one of the largest data center projects planned anywhere in Africa.

EXISTING VS. UPCOMING DATA CENTERS

• Existing Facilities in the region (Area and Power Capacity)
• Nairobi
• Other Cities
• List of Upcoming Facilities in the region (Area and Power Capacity)
• Nairobi
• Other Cities

The segmentation includes:

• IT Infrastructure
• Servers
• Storage Systems
• Network Infrastructure
• Electrical Infrastructure
• UPS Systems
• Generators
• Transfer Switches & Switchgears
• PDUs
• Other Electrical Infrastructure
• Mechanical Infrastructure
• Cooling Systems
• Rack Cabinets
• Other Mechanical Infrastructure
• Cooling Systems
• CRAC & CRAH Units
• Chiller Units
• Cooling Towers, Condensers & Dry Coolers
• Other Cooling Units
• General Construction
• Core & Shell Development
• Installation & Commissioning Services
• Engineering & Building Design
• Fire Detection & Suppression Systems
• Physical Security
• Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM)
• Tier Standard
• Tier I & Tier II
• Tier III
• Tier IV

VENDOR LANDSCAPE

IT Infrastructure Providers

• Arista Networks
• Atos
• Cisco
• Dell Technologies
• Hewlett Packard Enterprise
• Huawei Technologies
• IBM
• Lenovo
• NetApp
• NVIDIA

Data Center Construction Contractors & Sub-Contractors

• Arup
• Copy Cat Group
• Crovik Technologies
• Eastra Solutions
• Egypro
• Future-tech
• Gruppo ICM
• HubTech
• Kinetic Controls
• Norkun Intakes
• Remax Consult
• Kent
• Tetra Tech
• Turner & Townsend
• Westwood Management
• X2X Group

Support Infrastructure Providers

• ABB
• Alfa Laval
• Caterpillar
• Cummins
• Carrier
• Delta Electronics
• Eaton
• Legrand
• Piller Power Systems
• Rittal
• Rolls Royce
• Schneider Electric
• Siemens
• STULZ
• Vertiv

Data Center Investors

• Africa Data Centres
• iColo (Digital Realty)
• iXAfrica Data Centres
• Safaricom
• Telkom Kenya

New Entrants

• Nxtra by Airtel
• Cloudoon
• G42

KEY QUESTIONS ANSWERED:

1. What factors are driving the Kenya data center market?

2. How much MW of power capacity will be added in Kenya by 2031?

3. How big is the Kenya data center market? Show more