Data Bundle Complaints Top Telco Grievances in Kenya, Overtaking M-PESA Disputes
Premature depletion of mobile data bundles and disputed charges are at the top of the list of consumer complaints against telcos in the three months up to September 2026. Data services have suddenly come to the forefront, knocking digital financial services and mobile money off the top spot which they'd held onto for a while.
Data Still Causing the Most Grief
Data issues accounted for a whopping 140 out of the 479 complaints lodged with the Communications Authority of Kenya between July and September - thats 29.2 percent of all complaints. Billing issues and data charges were the most common complaints, accounting for 44 of all data-related gripes - thats 31.4 percent of all data complaints.
“Lots of consumers are losing out because their data bundles are running out before they've even had a chance to use them - and that's after they've already paid for them” the CA has apparently said.
Other complaints included data deductions being disputed, people not getting their services back after paying up, and providers not delivering on the services they've paid for. The CA was able to resolve 37 of those 44 billing complaints by giving customers refunds, credit adjustments, or reconnecting their services.
What Else is Causing Trouble
Digital financial services and mobile money came in second with 57 complaints (11.9 percent), mostly about phishing scams, fake promotions and people being scammed out of their money. After that came voice services with 51 complaints (10.6 percent) - mostly about people losing their service or having issues with their network. Cybercrime came in with 49 cases (10.2 percent), followed closely by fraud and scams with 47 cases (9.8 percent).
On the whole, 422 out of the 479 complaints (88.1 percent) got resolved, but 57 are still being looked into.
The Data Market Just Keeps Growing
Mobile data subscriptions reached 64.3 million in June 2026 - a 9.7 percent increase from 58.6 million the year before. Safaricom is still well in the lead with 64.4 percent of mobile broadband subscriptions, while Airtel has 31.9 percent and Telkom a tiny 0.6 percent. The CA hasn't said which telco got the most complaints.
Bundle Prices Put to the Test
Safaricom and Airtel both charge 1,000 shillings for 25GB valid for 30 days, while Telkom offers 15GB for that exact same price. For daily bundles, Safaricom charges 100 shillings for 1.8GB, while Airtel gives you 2.4GB for the same price and Telkom gives you 2GB for 100 shillings.
The World Bank has warned that some telcos in Kenya are probably charging over the odds because of their market power and are not matching what domestic competitors and international markets are charging.
Where Next
The CA plans to crack down on telcos who are getting their billing wrong, being unclear about prices and terms and conditions, and not being open with consumers. If you think you've been shortchanged by your telco, first try to sort it out with your operator, but if you can't get anywhere then you can take it up with the CA.
