Kenya's Internet Blackout: Fibre Cut or Widespread Outage?

On Tuesday, June 25, 2024, Kenya experienced internet connectivity disruption coinciding with nationwide protests against the Finance Bill.

The internet blackout raised concerns about the role of technology in public demonstrations and governmental transparency. London-based internet rights monitoring group NetBlocks reported the incident. Despite earlier assurances from authorities that there would be no internet shutdown, Kenyans found themselves unable to access online services during protests fueled by frustration over economic hardships and widespread corruption. The demonstrations led to a violent police crackdown.

To comprehend the nature of this disruption, it's important to distinguish between undersea fibre cuts and outages along fibre cables. Undersea fibre cuts involve physical damage to the cables that deliver internet traffic to the country, requiring technicians to repair the cables to restore connectivity. In contrast, outages along fibre cables reduce internet traffic flow, causing websites to load slowly or become inaccessible due to decreased capacity. These outages can stem from logistical challenges, external traffic, equipment failures, power outages, or software glitches.

The internet disruption affected Kenya and neighbouring countries like Uganda and Burundi. Social media platforms such as X and TikTok, which played a crucial role in organizing protests, experienced intermittent access. Kenyan citizens have been using these platforms to voice concerns about the high cost of living, taxation, unwarranted debt accumulation, and misuse of public resources by the political class. Safaricom attributed the interruption to problems with a subsea cable. However, this explanation was challenged by conflicting reports suggesting that Airtel's services remained operational during the outage.