Elijah Ntongai, an editor at TUKO.co.ke, has over four years of financial, business, and technology research and reporting experience, providing insights into Kenyan, African, and global trends.

The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) has issued a warning to leading telecom firms against interfering with access to the internet during ongoing protests demanding justice and accountability from police.

In a public statement, KHRC tagged Safaricom, Airtel Kenya, and Telkom Kenya, saying that the High Court had issued directives in May 2025 categorically prohibiting any form of internet shutdown in Kenya.

The court decision by Justice Bahati Mwamuye was in response to a petition that had been filed by ICJ-Kenya and other civil society groups following the controversial internet shutdown on June 25, 2024.

The shutdown took place during countrywide protests that were demanding good governance and calling for the government to strike down the Finance Bill 2024.

"KHRC is reminding telco companies—@SafaricomPLC, @AIRTEL_KE, and @TelkomKenya—that the High Court issued orders in May this year prohibiting any form of internet shutdown. Justice Bahati Mwamuye's ruling came in response to a petition by ICJ-Kenya and others following the June 25, 2024, blackout during nationwide protests calling for good governance," KHRC posted on the social media platform X.

KHRC explained that any action to shut down the internet, decelerate connectivity, or downgrade speeds to 2G as Kenyans protest against police brutality would be tantamount to contempt of court.

"Safaricom and other telco companies must understand that any attempt to shut down the internet, throttle connectivity, or downgrade service to 2G as Kenyans rally for justice over police killings in 2024 would amount to contempt of court and attract legal consequences," KHRC added.

The rights commission also made the warning to Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC), threatening that disconnecting power during demonstrations would also trigger immediate legal action.

"Similarly, KHRC warns @KenyaPower that switching off electricity during these protests demanding police accountability will trigger immediate legal action" KHRC said.

KHRC's statement comes amidst growing concern over state intervention in telecommunications and communication infrastructure as the public stages increasingly vocal protests across the country.

In other news, Telegram services in Kenya were limited across the country during the protests marking the anniversary of the deadly 2024 anti-Finance Bill protests.

The shutdown, as verified by NetBlocks across major ISPs, came alongside a government ban on live television and radio coverage of the protests as being unconstitutional.

Critics warned that the move, together with reported signal blackouts on channels like NTV and Citizen TV, was an escalating assault on freedoms of speech and expression.

Telegram, popular among youths for encrypted messaging, was the latest casualty in the government's search to limit information flow, heightening tensions as protesters demanded justice for murdered protesters and far-reaching reforms

Source: TUKO.co.ke