Starlink’s still a victim of its own demand in Kenya
It started with high speeds and big promises. Now it’s a waiting game.
When Starlink launched in Kenya in mid-2023, it felt like a breakthrough. Internet access, especially in rural areas, was still expensive and unreliable—but here was Starlink, promising fast, affordable satellite internet no matter where you lived.
For many, it felt like leapfrogging years of infrastructure delays in a single move. And at first, it worked. Starlink had around 8,000 users by June 2024. By December, that more than doubled to over 19,000, making it the seventh-largest ISP in Kenya. But that rapid growth may be catching up with it.
By late 2024, Starlink hit a capacity wall. Now, six months later, if you try signing up from Nairobi or nearby counties like Kiambu or Machakos, you'll likely get a frustrating message: “Starlink is currently at capacity in your area.” You can still buy the hardware, but you won’t be able to activate the service. Starlink says adding more users would just worsen things for current subscribers.
Louis Eriakha
And the internet speed already shows this. While Starlink advertised speeds of up to 200 Mbps, by March 2025, users in Kenya were averaging just 47 Mbps, per Business Daily, among the slowest Starlink speeds in Africa. That’s a big drop from the early hype, when users were streaming and Zooming from the middle of nowhere with no hiccups.
To be fair, Starlink’s only real fix is launching more satellites, and it’s been stepping up. With over 7,100 in orbit now, it plans to more than double that by 2026. Just this year alone, SpaceX, Starlink's parent company, has added 1,029 satellites, according to India Today. But until the network catches up, access in places like Kenya will likely stay patchy.
Emmanuel Oyedeji
Surprisingly, demand hasn’t dipped. If anything, scarcity may be fueling it. With hardware prices dropping from KES 92,000 ($712) to as low as KES 30,000 ($231), more people are jumping in—maybe hoping things improve, or just trying to beat the waitlist. Monthly plans range from KES 4,000 ($31) for the deprioritised Lite plan to KES 6,500 ($50) for Standard. In full-capacity areas, the only real option is the Premium tier at KES 130,000/month ($1,005). Pricey, but some are clearly willing to pay.
And it’s not just Kenya. Starlink’s map shows “sold out” warnings in other African cities like Harare, Lusaka, and Lagos. The demand is real, but the infrastructure isn’t keeping up.
