By John Ikani
East African internet users are facing disruptions due to malfunctioning undersea cables that connect the region to the global network. Service providers across Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda have acknowledged the issue and are working on restoring connectivity.
The patchy internet access stems from faults in cables running along the East African coast, according to industry expert Ben Roberts. These cables, crucial for linking the region to the wider internet through South Africa, suffered cuts earlier on Sunday.
This outage follows a similar incident in March that impacted parts of West and Southern Africa. Tanzania appears to be the most affected country this time around, with internet traffic dropping to 30% of normal levels. Local media outlets have described the situation as an “internet blackout.”
Frustrated users are taking to social media to express their concerns. Service providers like Airtel Kenya and Safaricom are fielding queries and working to resolve the network issues. Other countries, including Malawi, Mozambique, and Madagascar, are also experiencing disruptions.
While alternative cables connect East Africa to Europe, full restoration will likely involve rerouting data traffic. This process may take time, especially considering the importance of the damaged Eassy cable for major companies with data centres in South Africa.
This marks the second major internet outage on the continent in just two months. The March incident, attributed to cable failures as well, left millions of users across several African nations feeling the pinch.
