Kenya blocked Telegram amid anti-government protests

Kenya

June 25, 2025 UTC - June 26, 2025 UTC
censorship
telegram
instant messaging
published by Elizaveta Yachmeneva, Maria Xynou on June 25, 2025 UTC
Network(s): AS37061, AS33771, AS36866

On 25th June 2025, Telegram was blocked in Kenya on at least three networks amid anti-government protests.

This is not the first time Kenya restricts access to Telegram. We reported similar blocks in 2023 and 2024 during the KCSE exams.

OONI data shows that Telegram Web services were inaccessible starting from 11:50 UTC (14:50 local time) on at least three networks in Kenya, two of which are associated with Safaricom (one of the biggest ISPs in the country).

The following chart aggregates OONI measurement coverage from the testing of Telegram in Kenya on Safaricom (AS33771, AS37061) and Jamii (AS36866) between 15th June 2025 to 27th June 2025.

Chart: OONI Probe Telegram testing in Kenya on Safaricom (AS33771, AS37061) and Jamii (AS36866) between 15th June 2025 to 27th June 2025 (source: OONI data).

While OONI data suggests that Telegram was blocked on these networks, the block doesn’t appear to affect the Telegram mobile application and seems to be limited to Telegram’s web service. The block was lifted the same day, 25th June 2025.

If you are in Kenya, you can help test Telegram and contribute more measurements by running OONI Probe.