Millions in Kenya struggle with poor mobile network as major telco falls behind
Millions of Kenyans are facing ongoing mobile phone network problems, with over 30 counties failing to meet quality standards set by the country’s regulator, local reports indicate.
The Communications Authority of Kenya says that only 15 of the country’s 47 counties met the required 80 per cent performance mark for mobile services in the year ending June 2024.
The rest, including parts of the coast and northern regions, continue to experience call drops, slow data speeds, and weak signal strength.
The worst performance came from Telkom Kenya, which met the quality standard in only three counties, Lamu, Marsabit, and Kisii.
This low performance dragged down the country’s overall average to 73.5 per cent, according to The Eastleigh Voice.
Safaricom, on the other hand, met the target in 30 counties, and Airtel in 24. On a national scale, Safaricom scored 88.1 per cent, Airtel 83.3 per cent, while Telkom lagged behind at 67.6 per cent.
The findings come at a time when mobile phone use is booming across Kenya.
In the last quarter of 2023 alone, Kenyans bought over four million smartphones.
This is the fastest growth in device sales ever recorded in such a short period.
The law requires telecom companies to meet basic service standards, including voice quality, call setup time, data speed, and SMS delivery.
The regulator uses outdoor and indoor tests to measure performance and may issue penalties or sanctions if providers fail to comply.
