Tuesday’s internet outages seem to have sparked a new kind of anger especially towards Kenyan telco Safaricom which had Kenyans stranded across the country due to internet disruptions. The internet outage was noticed by many, especially during the events of the countrywide demonstrations that saw the Parliament Buildings in Nairobi breached.
Services like the MySafaricom and M-PESA app could not respond for several hours and those supporting the protests on social media platforms complained about slow internet speeds. This came at a time when tension was at an all-time high following prior suspicions of a government-mandated internet/social media cut. As feared, X, formerly Twitter, was cut off for millions of Kenyans across all ISPs for the whole night forcing many to use VPNs to access their timelines.
Safaricom responded to the growing outrage later in the evening announcing that the internet outage resulted from damage to its two undersea cables that direct traffic in and out of the country. However, this announcement fell on deaf ears as many continued to air their suspicions about the coincidental cable damage.
Wednesday morning has now followed a new level of outrage by Kenyans online expressing their disappointment towards the telco and demanding explanations from the firm about the internet outrage. This seems to have been sparked even more after reports of more deaths in the Githurai area along the Thika Superhighway by police officers at a time when many couldn’t access their social media accounts due to the internet outage.
Safaricom will now have a lot on its plate as its public image continues to deteriorate despite the official statements. Social media influencers & content creators have also started to call for boycotts and stated on social media that they will not work with the company anymore. Some notable names include Dennis Ombachi, Mike Muchiri and Gufy among many more.
The PR nightmare is also one that adds fire to previous incidents as many Kenyans claimed that Safaricom has been sharing customer data with unknown men to help locate and abduct the notable voices of the protests, which they denied.
The telco will be expected to make a public statement soon as they try and quell the anger that is now being directed at them.
