https://en.sputniknews.africa/20250113/internet-shutdowns-during-school-exams-and-protests-cost-kenya-75-million-in-2024-research-says-1070163210.html
Internet Shutdowns During School Exams and Protests Cost Kenya $75 Million in 2024, Research Says
Internet Shutdowns During School Exams and Protests Cost Kenya $75 Million in 2024, Research Says
Sputnik Africa
While the total cost of the 32,938 hours of internet outages in sub-Saharan Africa was $1.56 billion, affecting 111.2 million people, Kenya ranked third in the... 13.01.2025, Sputnik Africa
2025-01-13T16:39+0100
2025-01-13T16:39+0100
2025-01-13T17:38+0100
sub-saharan africa
kenya
east africa
school
education
protests
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telegram
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Intentional internet outages, mostly caused by school final exam season and protests, cost Kenya $75 million and affected 22.7 million citizens out of a population of nearly 52.5 million in 2024, compared to 15.6 million internet users in 2023, according to data by Top10VPN, an internet privacy and security research and review organization. Remarkably, there were only two instances of a major internet shutdown or social media blockade in Kenya in 2024, data collected by Top10VPN showed.Kenya suffered the biggest losses on November 8-29, when the social network Telegram was shut down for 504 hours across the country during the national primary and secondary school final exam season, affecting 22,710,000 users and causing a financial loss of $70,937,811. Then, on June 25, the country experienced a deliberate nationwide internet blackout for seven hours due to widespread protests against new tax measures proposed by the government. The internet shutdown, which impacted the same number of users as the Telegram block, resulted in a loss of $4,081,739.
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kenya, east africa, school, education, protests, taxes, internet, telegram, network, blackouts
kenya, east africa, school, education, protests, taxes, internet, telegram, network, blackouts
Internet Shutdowns During School Exams and Protests Cost Kenya $75 Million in 2024, Research Says
16:39 13.01.2025 (Updated: 17:38 13.01.2025) Elizaveta Roschina
Writer/Editor
While the total cost of the 32,938 hours of internet outages in sub-Saharan Africa was $1.56 billion, affecting 111.2 million people, Kenya ranked third in the region in terms of cost of lost output, after Sudan and Ethiopia, research showed.
Intentional
internet outages, mostly caused by school final exam season and protests, cost Kenya
$75 million and affected
22.7 million citizens out of a population of
nearly 52.5 million in 2024, compared to 15.6 million internet users in 2023, according
to data by Top10VPN, an internet privacy and security research and review organization.
Remarkably, there were only two instances of a major internet shutdown or social media blockade in Kenya in 2024, data collected by Top10VPN showed.
Kenya suffered the biggest losses on November 8-29, when the social network Telegram was shut down for
504 hours across the country during the national primary and secondary
school final exam season, affecting
22,710,000 users and causing a financial loss of
$70,937,811. Then, on June 25, the country experienced a deliberate nationwide internet blackout for
seven hours due to
widespread protests against new tax measures proposed by the government. The internet shutdown, which impacted the same number of users as the Telegram block, resulted in a loss of
$4,081,739.
