The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has asked telecommunications companies to temporarily block Telegram to curb exam scams. The crackdown, which prevents students from sharing exam answers, has led to the restriction of Telegram across major networks.
On Friday, internet monitoring group Netblocks confirmed the disruption at Safaricom and said that Telegram being blocked was in line with previous restrictions. A similar ban was imposed in Kenya in November 2023, reportedly resulting in huge losses of around SEK 4.2 billion as companies faced connectivity issues.
In a letter dated October 31 to the heads of Safaricom, Telkom Kenya, Jamii Telecom and Airtel Kenya, the CA said that while other social media platforms are working with authorities to prevent fraud, Telegram has not been as cooperative. The CA will temporarily suspend Telegram during exam hours (7am-10am and 1pm-4pm weekdays) until November 22.
Last year, Netblocks estimated that Kenya had suffered daily losses of around SEK 537 million due to a similar ban. In the case, six administrators of a Telegram group were arrested for alleged exam fraud.
Since then, Telegram’s stance has softened somewhat. In September 2024, the platform updated its privacy policy to allow IP addresses and phone numbers to be shared with law enforcement for criminal investigations. The update came following the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France.
Telegram has grown rapidly and now has around 1 billion users worldwide. Known for its unfiltered content and large group chats, it is a tool for free communication, but it often clashes with government surveillance.
Freedom of Speech vs. Debates over regulation are heating up around the world, especially between Western countries and countries such as Russia and China, which view the platform differently depending on its origins. Kenya’s ban of Telegram has become an annual move to curb exam cheating, but despite such attempts at regulation, Telegram remains the leading encrypted messaging platform.
