Some Kenyans turned to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite communications service after the government tried to restrict access to the internet during last year’s protests that left more than 60 dead. Anti-government demonstrations returned in June. This time, though, Starlink’s appeal has faded.

Those who purchased the service may have thought it could help bypass government control over internet access because satellite internet is less susceptible to terrestrial infrastructure disruptions like cable cuts.

However, Starlink’s high costs and slow speeds have deterred many users, said Chris Orwa, a Nairobi-based data analyst who purchased the service after the shutdown. “People made an emotional purchase,” he said. “If they had sat down and compared it with other options, it would have been the worst option.”

Starlink entered Kenya in 2023 with space-beamed broadband and a goal to shake up the market. In cities like Nairobi, thousands of users signed up, helped by retailers that offered good deals on equipment sales. Now some consumers are unplugging their dishes and switching back to faster local providers.

The SpaceX service lost more than 10% of its Kenyan subscribers in the first quarter of 2025 while the market for fixed internet subscriptions grew 8%, according to a report by Kenya’s communications regulator.

At a time when Musk is feuding with US President Donald Trump and car maker Tesla is losing market share, Starlink’s difficulties in Kenya are another reminder that not everything is going the right way for the world’s richest person.

Starlink’s Kenyan challenges also raise questions about SpaceX’s ability to fulfil the mission it’s set for itself in the developing world, where Musk and other executives want Starlink to connect people with limited or no access to the internet.

Better in rural areas

The recent drop coincided with a pause in new urban sign-ups that began in November when the company cited high network congestion in densely populated areas. Starlink’s base declined in the first quarter by more than 2 000 users.

Starlink resumed sign-ups in Nairobi in June, but other internet service providers have “made interventions to make their services more appealing” by delivering more bandwidth at a lower price, said Moses Kemibaro, a technology analyst in Kenya and early Starlink user.

Starlink advertises a plan for KSh4 000 (R549) month with a KSh27 000 hardware cost, although its standard residential plan (which receives higher priority delivery of data) requires nearly double the hardware cost and a monthly fee of at least KSh6 500.

Read: The satellite broadband operators taking on Starlink

While Starlink typically delivers download speeds between 25Mbit/s and 220Mbit/s, its median speeds in Kenya are 47Mbit/s, according to a May report from Ookla, a company that tests broadband network speeds.

Starlink requires some users to upgrade to more expensive bands when cheaper bands reach capacity, Orwa said, adding that his monthly cost reached around KSh15 000.

Download speeds of at least 100Mbit/s are considered fast enough to handle nearly any online activity, according to Ookla’s Speedtest service.

When Starlink hardware breaks, subscribers struggle to get assistance because the company lacks a presence in the region, according to Orwa, who said Starlink’s online support was not enough to address a complaint he filed in October after his system was only delivering speeds around 10Mbit/s.

Starlink didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Outside urban centres, Starlink remains a good option since the service beams internet from about 8 000 low-Earth orbit satellites, giving it coverage in areas where traditional infrastructure has limited availability.

Paul Akwabi, the founder of digital education nonprofit Tech Kidz Africa, said the service has allowed his organisation to expand into previously unconnected schools in Kenya. Since purchasing Starlink equipment last year, the group has grown its reach from 30 000 students to over 160 000.

Performance in rural areas regularly exceeds 200Mbit/s, Akwabi said, allowing his technology lab to teach coding and robotics.

Starlink had around 17 000 subscribers in Kenya at the end of the first quarter, according to the Communications Authority’s report. The company claims more than six million active users globally. The market leader, Safaricom, reaches roughly 680 000 fixed internet subscribers, according to Kenya’s communications regulator.

‘Gone’

Starlink’s future in Kenya may depend on whether it adapts to the realities of the local market. Focusing on rural expansion could help the company stay competitive, said Ben Roberts, former CEO of the Kenya office for Liquid Intelligent Technologies, a technology solutions group. If Starlink focuses more on rural customers, “they’re certainly going to get more numbers”, he said.

Read: Don’t expect Starlink in South Africa anytime soon

But it’s too late for Starlink to make a comeback in the region, said Orwa. “People moved on a long time ago,” he said. “That conversation about Starlink revolutionising internet in Africa, that’s gone.” — Melos Ambaye, (c) 2025 Bloomberg LP

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