Kenya is leading IT hub in the region and outage believed to have been directed by the Communication Authority affected ability to transact business
By ERIC BONUKE
Kenya suffered a major internet interruption on Tuesday evening in an apparent move by the government to disrupt online mobilisation by opponents of the Finance Bill 2024, which passed through the National Assembly amid clashes between anti-riots police and protesters who managed to storm Parliament building with several casualties.
NetBlocks, a global internet observatory, confirmed the outage on X, formerly known as Twitter, around 5 pm.
“Confirmed: Live network data show a major disruption to internet connectivity in Kenya,” NetBlocks said.
The move came hours after the protesters overpowered police officers and gained entry into the Parliament precincts where they destroyed tables and chairs in the mess as well as with the Senate chambers where electronic equipment was vandalised.
In addition, several windows were broken. A section of the building briefly caught fire and several protestors wee shot dead by a police sniper and Parliamentary guards.
MPs who had just voted for an amended version of the Bill had to be evacuated through the newly built tunnel connecting Parliament and Bunge Towers leaving behind their cars.
Only Azimio MPs who rejected the Bill that retained controversial clauses such as an eco-levy on imported goods that would see prices of sanitary towels, diapers and electronics shoot up, were allowed by the protesters to leave through the main gate.
Police fired live bullets killing at least six protesters and injuring dozens of others.
Unlike in previous protests organised by politicians and civil society, the latest was largely a Gen Z-led online crusade.
The shutdown came despite a warning by Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) that such measures would infringe on the fundamental rights and freedoms of Kenyans as well as negatively impact Kenya’s economy, democracy, and reputation in the eyes of the international community.
Kenya’s constitution and international human rights legislation safeguard the fundamental rights to freedom of expression, access to information, and picketing, which would be violated by internet shutdowns, censorship, and other information controls.
“By preventing citizens from engaging in public conversation and holding the government accountable, internet disruptions subvert democratic processes,” it said in a statement.
The move, it added, will have disastrous economic effects citing severe disruption of Kenya’s thriving e-commerce business.
“Kenya’s e-commerce market is predicted to reach Sh103 billion by the end of 2024. Society’s Pulse NetLoss calculator estimates that a total Internet outage may cost Kenya’s economy Sh810 million in lost Gross Domestic Product (GDP) every day,” KICTANet said.
It added that millions of Kenyans, who depend on Internet services for daily transactions including banks, would be impacted by the paralysis of the mobile money industry, which includes M-Pesa, which handles over Sh6 billion transactions annually valued at over Sh6.4 trillion.
“However short-lived, Internet disruptions affect many facets of the national economy and their effect persists far beyond the days on which access is disrupted. They carry reputational risk, hurt investor confidence, disrupt supply chains, and can discourage foreign direct investments (FDI),” the statement said.
The Communications Authority has earlier assured that it had “no intention whatsoever to shut down internet traffic or interfere with the quality of connectivity.” However, thee were unconfirmed suspicions that it had yielded to State pressure to restrict the Internet and block access to some sights.