Internet disruption: Why Kenyans may have to wait longer for connection to be restored

It may take nearly a month to fix the submarine cable damaged over the weekend, causing internet outage across Kenya and other East African countries.

This is according to the Technology Service Providers Association of Kenya (TESPOK), which says the country should beef up its internet infrastructure as it targets a digital economy.

Since Sunday, Kenyans have experienced slow internet speeds following a cut in deep sea fibre cables at Mtunzini, a small coastal town in South Africa.

"What happened over the weekend has been happening, several incidences have taken place where the submarine cable system being disrupted and disrupted to a point where we don’t have certain services," TESPOK CEO Fiona Asonga told Citizen TV.

"These services we are not able to access means that they are not being hosted locally within our jurisdiction or catered for in a cache, set of servers, therefore we are feeling the effect of it."

The internet has become an integral part for many Kenyans, playing a crucial role in bridging the digital divide.

"The internet is really a network of networks. We started by connecting 2 computers, then another 2 computers, we had 4 computers, and it gradually increased. This network of interconnected computers is what we have today as the internet," Asonga said.

Internet connections depend on hundreds of submarine cables laid on the ocean floor, connecting two or more landing points. The cables use fibre optic technology to transmit huge amounts of data rapidly from one point to another.

The internet has been designed to ensure that doesn't break down. It is supposed to ensure that communication is ongoing despite setbacks," said Asonga.

Days later, business operators are still feeling the impact of the cable cut.

"All these cuts have had an impact that is now a recurring issue forcing a lot of businesses to kick in their business continuity processes. Because they tend to have content not being hosted in the region, and that means content is not6 accessible when the cables are down," Asonga said.

Kenyans may have to exercise patience as repair works continue.

"Considering we have cables in February not fixed, we would say we give it 3 weeks to a month for them top fix in the interim. There is a special kind of ship that is used to lay the cable. When they get ether they need to access the amount of damage done, to determine how long it will take to fix," Asonga said.

"So ether is a whole process of assessment which will take a couple of days because divers have to dive. Some equipment has to be taken down and that takes time; it takes a couple of weeks."

So far, several companies including internet service providers have issued statements regarding the measures they have taken to minimise service interruption.

In a message on X, Safaricom said it had activated redundancy measures to avert disruptions while the Communication Authority of Kenya has urged all service providers in the country to take proactive steps to secure alternative routes for their traffic.