Infrastructure

Airtel Bets Sh19bn on New Data Centre in Tatu City

Nxtra will be one of the continent’s largest data infrastructure projects.

Updated on

September 13, 2025

Groundbreaking of the Nxtra Data Centre on 10 August 2025. (Photo: Courtesy)

Airtel Africa has broken ground on a Sh19 billion data centre at Tatu City’s Special Economic Zone in Ruiru, Kiambu County, aiming to cash in on the region’s booming digital market.

Developed through Airtel’s data centre subsidiary Nxtra, the facility is expected to be operational by the first quarter of 2027.

Once complete, it will have a total power capacity of 44 megawatts (MW), making it one of the largest data infrastructure projects on the continent.

Speaking during the groundbreaking, Nxtra Africa CEO Yashnath Issur said: “There is growth across the board for Kenya as more and more SMEs and startups that will come to this country will actually need specialised data capabilities. So, this is not only a game changer for us; it is also changing the digital footprint in Africa.”

The Nxtra data centre will be built in two phases of 22MW each and will feature advanced server technology capable of maintaining “99.999 per cent uptime”.

It will have several backup fibre connections to keep the network running smoothly.

Cabinet Secretary for ICT William Kabogo commended the project for aligning with the government’s digital transformation agenda.

“The scale and quality of this facility will firmly place Kenya on the map as a trusted host for global and regional digital infrastructure,” he said.

The facility will boost cloud computing, AI, and digital platforms in East Africa, while creating jobs during construction and operation through local partnerships.

Airtel Kenya managing director Ashish Malhotra said the data centre will attract global tech players, create jobs, and lower the cost of digital services.

“We also believe it will create a new portfolio of services that will maximise the benefits of AI and cloud,” he said.

According to the Communications Authority of Kenya, digital adoption in the country is growing steadily. In the first quarter of 2025, mobile broadband subscriptions hit 44.44 million, while smartphone penetration rose by 2.1% to 42.35 million units.

Peter Ikumilu, Deputy Director General at the Authority, emphasised the strategic importance of such infrastructure: “Data has become the new currency of business and, hopefully, this facility will spur the growth of data centres in the region.”