Amidst a summer of widespread protests in Kenya over a controversial finance bill, the nation found itself grappling with a sudden and unexpected internet outage. While the country’s Communications Authority had publicly stated its intention to maintain internet access, a nationwide loss of connectivity occurred on June 25th, raising concerns about government censorship and control.
Kenya’s main internet service providers attributed the outage to issues with undersea cables.However, digital rights groups expressed skepticism, pointing to the timing of the outage as “strongly suggestive” of an intentional act. They argue that such shutdowns are increasingly employed by governments worldwide as a means to suppress dissent and maintain control.
“The key reasons really are to restrict interaction, restrict free expression, restrict online mobilization, restrict online freedom of assembly and association, and also restrict access to information,” explained nompilo Simanje, Africa advocacy and partnerships lead at the International Press Institute.
Digital watchdogs have documented a disturbing trend of internet and social media shutdowns across Africa in recent months, often coinciding with crucial events like protests or elections. While it’s not always clear if thes shutdowns are the result of direct orders, the timing frequently enough suggests a deliberate attempt to stifle online activity.
Within the past year alone,digital rights group Access Now has documented shutdowns in Kenya,Mozambique,Tanzania,Mauritius,and Equatorial Guinea. Felicia Anthonio, campaign manager at Access Now, emphasized the potentially life-threatening consequences of such disruptions.
“It not only disrupts the flow of information, it also makes it impossible for people to access information in a timely manner,” Anthonio said. “When we are talking about crisis situations, information can be like a lifeline, and so, disrupting access coudl be about life and death in conflict situations.”
Anthonio warned that governments that restrict internet access once are likely to do so again. Kenya’s recent history bears this out. Prior to the June incident, access to the messaging app Telegram was blocked in November 2023 during national examinations, ostensibly to prevent cheating.this restriction was repeated last month during another round of examinations, lasting over three weeks and extending even after the exams concluded.
“It was really a huge inconvenience,” said James Wamathai,advocacy director for the bloggers Association of Kenya,who resides in Nairobi. Local media reported that the Communications Authority had ordered the Telegram block to prevent cheating. However, the move left many Kenyans unable to contact friends and relatives living in countries where WhatsApp was banned.
Wamathai noted that kenyans have limited experience with internet shutdowns and many lack the technical know-how to circumvent them using tools like virtual private networks (VPNs). He pointed out that the current government under President William Ruto is the first to implement such restrictions.
Kenya’s membership in the Freedom Online Coalition, a group of 42 countries advocating for online freedom, makes its recent actions notably disheartening, according to Anthonio. “It’s depressing and sad to see a member of the coalition engage in such practices,” she said.
The Kenyan Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment. Anthonio suggested that both democratic and repressive regimes engage in similar restrictions, driven by a desire to exert control and demonstrate their authority.
“It’s really hard to tell what the motivation is, aside from the fact that the government just wants to exert control to show that they are in authority and can restrict people’s rights when they please,” Anthonio said.
Mauritius provides a stark example. The nation planned to impose a 10-day internet shutdown ahead of its November election, citing the need to control illegal publications that might threaten national security. Anthonio dismissed this rationale as mere “jargon” used by governments to justify shutdowns.
Following protests from media outlets and opposition parties, the ban was lifted after just 24 hours. The incident served as a chilling reminder of the fragility of online freedoms and the lengths to which governments will go to silence dissent.
Internet shutdowns, a growing concern globally, have recently impacted several African nations, raising alarms among digital rights advocates. While Mauritius, known for its strong record on internet freedom, experienced a brief outage, other countries like Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, and Mozambique have faced more prolonged disruptions.
The incident in Mauritius, attributed to a technical glitch, was swiftly resolved, according to the Internet Society’s (ISOC) Mauritius chapter. “It was a technical issue that was resolved quickly,” said Sherry Simanje, ISOC Mauritius chapter chair. “Mauritius has generally had a very good track record of internet access, online safety and promotion of digital rights.”
However, other African nations have witnessed more concerning instances of internet censorship. In Tanzania, Access Now, a digital rights association, documented several internet and social media outages or blocks. Notably, access to the social media platform X was restricted in late August, coinciding with an online campaign highlighting human rights abuses within the country.This suggested a deliberate attempt to silence dissent, Access Now reported.
“We would like to assure you that this information is false,” a spokesperson for Tanzania’s embassy in Washington told VOA via email, refuting the claims.
Equatorial Guinea experienced a complete internet shutdown on the island of Annobon in July and August. This drastic measure, according to Access Now, followed protests against environmental degradation caused by mining activities. “This left its residents completely cut off from the world,” said Anthonio, highlighting the severe impact of such shutdowns.
Similarly, Mozambique faced internet connectivity issues in late October following the announcement of national election results. These disruptions occurred amidst violent protests against the ruling party’s reelection, which resulted in at least 11 fatalities, as reported by Al Jazeera. The shutdowns raised concerns about the government’s attempts to control information and suppress dissent during a sensitive political period.
Efforts to reach the Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, and Mauritius embassies in Washington for comment were unsuccessful.
## Kenya: Is a democratic Backslide Underway With Internet Shutdowns?
**World-Today-News,Nairobi:** As Kenya grapples with widespread protests against a controversial finance bill,a nationwide internet outage on June 25th raised chilling questions about government censorship and control amidst a wave of similar incidents across africa.
While Kenya’s main internet service providers attributed teh outage to undersea cable issues, digital rights groups remain skeptical, pointing to the timing as ”strongly suggestive” of an intentional act. This entire incident, they argue, fits a disturbing pattern of internet shutdowns being used to suppress dissent and maintain control.
“The key reasons realy are to restrict interaction, restrict free expression, restrict online mobilization, restrict online freedom of assembly and association, and also restrict access to information,” explained Nompilo Simanje, africa Advocacy and Partnerships Lead at the International Press Institute.
**A Continental Trend?**
Digital watchdogs have documented a worrying rise in internet and social media shutdowns across Africa in recent months, frequently enough coinciding with pivotal events like protests or elections. While its not always clear if these shutdowns originate from direct orders, the recurring timing strongly suggests a intentional attempt to stifle online activity.
within the past year alone, access Now, a digital rights group, has documented shutdowns in Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Mauritius, and Equatorial guinea. Felicia Anthonio, Campaign Manager at Access Now, emphasized the possibly life-threatening consequences of such disruptions.
“It not only disrupts the flow of information, it also makes it unfeasible for people to access information in a timely manner. When we are talking about crisis situations, information can be like a lifeline, and so, disrupting access could be about life and death in conflict situations,” Anthonio stated.
**Kenya’s Troubling Precedent**
Kenya’s recent history bears out this concern. Prior to the June incident, access to the messaging app Telegram was blocked in November 2023 during national examinations, ostensibly to prevent cheating. this restriction was repeated last month during another round of examinations, lasting over three weeks and extending even after the exams concluded.
James Wamathai, Advocacy Director for the Bloggers association of Kenya, highlighted the significant inconvenience this caused.“It was really a huge inconvenience,” he said. Local media reported that the Communications Authority had ordered the Telegram block to prevent cheating. Tho, the move left many Kenyans unable to contact friends and relatives living in countries where WhatsApp was banned.
Wamathai noted that Kenyans have limited experience with internet shutdowns and many lack the technical know-how to circumvent them using tools like virtual private networks (VPNs). He pointed out that the current government under President William Ruto is the first to implement such restrictions.
Kenya’s membership in the Freedom Online Coalition, a group of 42 countries advocating for online freedom, makes its recent actions particularly disheartening.
“It’s depressing and sad to see a member of the coalition engage in such practices,” Anthonio said.
**A Deeper Motivation?**
Anthonio suggests that both democratic and repressive regimes engage in similar restrictions,driven by a desire to exert control and demonstrate their authority. “It’s really hard to tell what the motivation is, aside from the fact that the government just wants to exert control to show that they are in authority and can restrict people’s rights when they please,” she explained.
Mauritius provides a stark example. The nation planned to impose a 10-day internet shutdown ahead of its November election, citing the need to control illegal publications that might threaten national security.Anthonio dismissed this rationale as mere “jargon” used by governments to justify shutdowns.
As Kenya navigates both protests and internet disruptions,the question remains: Is this a temporary setback,or does it signal a worrying backslide towards greater restrictions on freedom of expression and access to information?
**End Interview**
