POLICY
CA proposes a standalone licence for data centres
The Communications Authority wants colocation data centres out of the catch-all "Network Facilities Provider – Tier 2" bucket and into a dedicated licence category, arguing the generic class is too broad for a sector drawing serious capital — including Amaco Energy Group's planned $1.5 billion AI data centre in Mombasa. A 30-day public comment window is open, with submissions online, by email or at the Director General's office in Nairobi, before final regulations are drafted.
Techweez
INFRASTRUCTURE
Digital Realty switches on NBO2 in Nairobi
Digital Realty, now running iColo's facilities, launched the carrier-neutral NBO2 data centre in Nairobi on Monday, pitched at cloud providers, banks, enterprises and ISPs and at AI workloads and regional interconnection. The launch drew US Assistant Secretary of State Frank Garcia alongside Kenya's ICT and Broadcasting principal secretaries, with officials talking up the removal of local shareholding requirements for ICT investments and the National AI Strategy 2025–2030 as proof Kenya wants the "East Africa's digital gateway" title.
TechTrends KE
FINTECH
Two bank deals put Kenya top of Africa's M&A table
Kenya recorded $1.44 billion across 25 M&A transactions in the first half of 2026 — the highest value on the continent, per DealMakers AFRICA — even as African deal value overall slid 10% to $5.58 billion. The ranking leans on banking: Nedbank's roughly $855 million move for a 66% NCBA stake and Absa Group's ~$239 million buy-out of Absa Bank Kenya minorities account for about $1.09 billion, with CBK's core capital ladder to KSh 10 billion by 2029 keeping the consolidation pressure on.
TechTrends KE
STARTUPS
Kenya's e-commerce market eyes KES 496 billion — if regulation keeps up
Figures aired at the Digital Trade Congress 2026 in Nairobi put Kenyan e-commerce at roughly KES 336.7 billion (about $2.6 billion) today, on course for KES 496 billion by 2029 — with the newly launched Kenya E-Commerce Alliance (KECA) formed to push for it. The listed drag factors are familiar: 16% VAT and tax compliance, transaction costs and payment interoperability, unreliable delivery and cross-border logistics, and eTIMS e-invoicing landing on small online sellers.
TechTrends KE
INFRASTRUCTURE
SUN Mobility's swap network pulls 10+ e-motorcycle makers toward Kenya
More than ten electric motorcycle and three-wheeler manufacturers — China's Afrina Neopower, QJ-YY, Sprocomm, VMoto and Wylex, India's BGauss, Motovolt and Odysse, Italy's Piaggio and Kenya's own Fika Mobility — are lining up to enter Kenya through SUN Mobility's open battery-swap network, launched last week with 35 stations across Nairobi and Mombasa. The shared, brand-agnostic batteries mean new entrants skip building charging infrastructure and spend on bikes and riders instead, in a market where M-KOPA alone has financed over 10,000 electric motorcycles.
TechTrends KE
