Communications Authority of Kenya has ordered a temporary suspension of Telegram services during the KCSE exams as a measure of curbing examination malpractice. This move further adds Kenya to a growing list of countries taking radical measures against encrypted messaging platforms thought to be abetting cheating.

On November 8, 2024, CA Director General David Mugonyi wrote to the country’s four leading telecom operators—Safaricom, Airtel, Telkom, and JTL—instructing them to block Telegram access from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM and between 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM during weekdays until November 22, 2024.

The move was occasioned by reports from the Ministry of Education, indicating cases of supervisors of examinations trying to sneak in mobile devices and materials to candidates. According to Basic Education PS Dr. Belio Kipsang, such activities merited quick intervention as a way of cushioning national examinations from malpractices. The action by the government points to growing unease about technology being abused to confer unfair benefits in academic fields.

Why Target Telegram?

With its strong encryption and limited content moderation policy, Telegram has repeatedly locked horns with many regulators worldwide. While the platform remains popular among users who want to keep their communications private, it has also repeatedly been criticized for hosting groups and channels through which illicit activities can take place, including exam leaks. This decision of the CA reflects frustration over perceived non-cooperation on the part of Telegram Inc. regarding monitoring or taking down suspicious content.

According to the CA Director General, David Mugonyi, the platform “continues to host offending forums” that are too difficult for authorities to manage; hence, the drastic measures. Global internet observatory NetBlocks has shown the effect of the restriction on accessibility of Telegram in Kenya by using network metrics to show reduced traffic to the app during the hours blocked.

A Global Trend of Telegram Restrictions

The move, which suspends Telegram in Kenya, forms part of the wider trend where governments are increasingly clamping down on encrypted messaging apps to prevent misuse. In September 2024, Telegram made headlines over changes it introduced to its privacy policies that allowed the sharing of user data with law enforcement agencies under certain conditions. It had been under considerable pressure from European regulators who were concerned about how the platform was being used for unauthorized content sharing.

Changes to its privacy policy mark a major about-face for Telegram, an instant messaging app that had always been marketed as a service with an attitude toward the protection of user privacy and with as little interference in what users did as possible. This is, however, a delicate balance to strike between full privacy and the need for regulatory compliance in the face of efforts across the globe by governments to curb the misuse of such platforms for malicious purposes.

The Suspension Aftermath

Although this current restriction in Kenya is temporary, it may portend a more long-term trend in which authorities could implement even harsher controls on messaging platforms during times when events are considered sensitive, such as during national exams. The Kenyan government claims that this move is to protect the integrity of its education system; however, this raises questions about what the implications mean on a wider scale concerning digital rights and access to information.

Most challenging of all is how Telegram will be able to keep its user base and reputation for privacy in the face of increasing regulatory pressures. While the suspension in itself is not necessarily affecting how Telegram’s business model works, repeated similar actions may force the company to actually reassess their approach to government requests for cooperation or forfeit access to certain markets altogether.

Final Thoughts

This tension between examination integrity and Internet freedom goes to the core of a broader challenge facing many nations. In fact, as more governments resort to restricting the use of the Internet to enforce their regulations, applications like Telegram might have to make certain compromises if they intend to survive in these environments. For now, the suspension of Telegram by Kenyan authorities indicates an intention to take the interest of the nation over the uncompromising use of technology, especially when such technology is deemed to threaten the welfare of the public.

The recent tussle between those who fight for privacy and government regulators brought one thing to the fore: how digital platforms balance user privacy against the need to comply with lawful frameworks. With the examination season in Kenya getting underway, its success and possible fallout will, no doubt, be a reference point for future regulatory actions, from across Africa to the globe.