The Communications Authority of Kenya has reported significant disruptions to internet services across the country due to a deep-sea fibre cut.
According to the authority, “The incident occurred at the Mtunzini teleport station, impacting major submarine cables such as Seacom and the East African Submarine System (Eassy).”
In a press release, the Authority confirmed that it had received numerous reports of intermittent data outages and traffic congestion on the affected cables.
The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), David Mugonyi, announced that recovery efforts are underway but warned that consumers might experience slow internet speeds and intermittent connectivity over the next few days as services are gradually restored.
To mitigate the impact, the authority has instructed service providers to secure alternative routes for internet traffic.
The unaffected East Africa Marine System (TEAMS) cable is currently handling local traffic, while redundancy on the South Africa route has been activated to alleviate the disruption.
Service providers Airtel Networks Kenya and Telkom Kenya have also issued statements to their customers, acknowledging the service issues and outlining steps taken to minimize the disruption.
Airtel reassured customers that they are working with partners to restore full services and thanked them for their patience.
Similarly, Telkom Kenya highlighted its mitigation measures to maintain connectivity during the outage and expressed appreciation for customers’ understanding.
“While you may experience intermittent service provision during this time, Telkom has put inplace mitigation measures to minimise this disruption and keep you connected.We thank you for your patience and understanding as we work with our partners to restore optimal service provision as soon as possible, “Telkom noted.
This disruptions comes after another incident was reported in March.
The Communications Authority says it continues to monitor the situation closely, ensuring that incoming and outbound internet connectivity remains available as repairs progress.
Users are advised to expect some ongoing interruptions until normal service levels are achieved.