Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has joined the #KeepItOn Coalition and 31 other entities from around the world to call on the Kenya Government to restore full internet access, and refrain from imposing any future shutdowns in the country following the blocking of the messaging app, Telegram, by authorities in the wake of protests against extra-judicial killings in the east African nation.
In a statement titled “Kenya must obey court orders and #KeepItOn during protests” issued on June 26, 2025, the #KeepItOn coalition, a global network of over 345 organisations from 105 countries working to end internet shutdowns, and 32 signatories condemned a move by Kenyan authorities to block Telegram.
They contended that the blocking of the app, which came amidst protests against extrajudicial killings as the country marked the one year anniversary of the finance bill protests that saw more than 60 people killed and hundreds of others injured, was “in direct violation of a High Court injunction preventing the Kenyan government from interfering with access to the internet and Telegram.”
According to the statement, data captured by the Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) platform showed a disruption affecting Telegram for several hours, beginning on June 25 at 14:50 local time on at least three networks in Kenya, two of which are associated with Safaricom, one of the biggest internet service providers in the country.
It said several reports on X indicated that the platform could only be accessed through the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), which enable people to bypass the blocking and that the Telegram blocking coincided with a directive from the Communications Authority of Kenya to all media houses to stop live broadcasts of the protests.
The statement noted that “Social media and messaging platforms like Telegram have become an integral part of Kenyan society, playing a significant role in communication, information dissemination, business, and social change. Its impact is felt across various aspects of life, from connecting with friends and family to influencing political discourse and driving economic opportunities.”
It stressed that “measures to intentionally prevent or disrupt access to or the dissemination of information online are in violation of international human rights law”, adding that “Blocking access to essential platforms that facilitate the exercise of rights and freedoms, including freedom of expression and access to information, is a violation of Articles 33 and 35 of the Constitution of Kenya as well as international human rights standards.”
The statement observed that the blocking of Telegram also comes at a time when an injunction is in place against Government agencies and telecommunication companies from restricting and shutting down the Internet following a constitutional petition challenging the legality of previous internet shutdowns.
It said the petition is also seeking to declare any attempt to shut down the internet by the government unconstitutional.
The statement said: “Internet shutdowns are disproportionate and contravene regional and international human rights frameworks. Kenya is a signatory to various frameworks, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), both of which explicitly protect the right to freedom of expression and access to information. In 2019, the ACHPR’s Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa called on states not to ‘engage in or condone any disruption of access to the internet and other digital technologies for segments of the public or an entire population.’ ”
The organisations demanded that Kenyan authorities uphold human rights, restore full internet access, and refrain from imposing any future shutdowns in the country.
Signatories include Access Now, Afia-Amani Grands-Lacs, the African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX), AfricTivistes, Article 19 Eastern Africa, Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE), Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), Common Cause Zambia, Forumvert, the Gambia Press Union (GPU), Human Rights Foundation, Human Rights Journalists Network Nigeria, International Press Institute, Internet Society, Kenya; and Internet Without Borders.
Others are the Kenyan Section of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ Kenya), KICTANet, Kijiji Yeetu, Media Lawyers Association of Kenya (MLAK), Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Media Rights Agenda, Mentor All CBO, Myanmar Internet Project, OONI (Open Observatory of Network Interference), Paradigm Initiative, PEN America, Ubunteam, Robert F Kennedy Human Rights, the West African Digital Rights Defenders Coalition, Women Empower, YODET, and Zaina Foundation.
