New Regulations Compel Telcos and Postal Services to Go Green in Kenya

Kenya, 19 November 2025 - Kenya’s ICT industry is about to operate under far stricter environmental rules after the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) released two new frameworks that reshape how telecom, broadcasting, and postal companies plan, build, and power their infrastructure.

The documents introduce several requirements that align Kenya with global climate commitments, including the Paris Agreement and the International Telecommunication Union’s L.1470 goal of reducing emissions in the global ICT sector by 45% between 2020 and 2030.

Under the new approach, any company seeking to install a data centre, telecom tower, or broadcast facility will undergo a deeper environmental review.

While approval from the National Environmental Management Authority remains mandatory, CA will now conduct its own assessment that focuses on ICT-specific risks.

Applicants must provide satellite maps pinpointing exact coordinates, detailed elevation drawings, and electromagnetic field readings taken at various distances in line with international radiation safety standards.

Regulators will also scrutinize how the structure fits into its surroundings, with a strong preference for designs that minimise visual disruption, especially in sensitive landscapes such as national parks and conservation areas.

One of the most consequential shifts is the expectation that operators share infrastructure whenever possible.

If a tower or transmission site already exists near the proposed location, companies must use it unless they can prove technical limitations.

Firms declining a sharing request must justify their position in writing.

Applicants who choose not to co-locate must also document how far the nearest existing site is, a measure intended to curb the clutter of multiple towers clustered in Kenya’s urban centres.

The new carbon reduction framework takes aim at the ICT sector’s growing emissions profile.

Globally, digital technologies account for about three percent of all greenhouse gas emissions, with data centres responsible for the largest share. As device ownership rises and networks evolve from 3G to 5G and beyond, energy demand continues to climb.

Kenya’s postal and courier services also contribute through fuel-powered delivery vehicles, energy-intensive sorting centres, and the manufacture and transport of packaging and stamps.