Kenya has seen a significant increase in smartphone usage, with connections surpassing 50 million for the first time, indicating a major shift away from basic mobile devices.

• Smartphone connections reached 50.2 million as of March 2026.
• Data is from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA).
• Feature phone connections dropped to 28.5 million in the same period, showing a 3.7 percent decline.

Kenya's Communications Authority (CA) detected 3.37 billion cyber threat events in the first quarter of 2026, indicating the persistent and sophisticated nature of cyberattacks despite a decrease in overall reported incidents.

• 3.37 billion cyber threat events were recorded between January and March 2026.
• The National Kenya Computer Incident Response Team Coordination Centre (KE-CIRT/CC) is the body responsible for these detections.
• System attacks were the most prevalent threat, targeting critical information infrastructure like operating systems and databases.

Kenyan private sector firms are revising their inflation expectations upwards, driven by persistent concerns over fuel prices and supply-side pressures, though they still anticipate overall price growth to remain within the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK)'s target range.

• Approximately 90 percent of respondents cited higher fuel and energy prices as the primary drivers of inflation.
• The survey involved 400 private sector firms, including commercial banks, microfinance banks, and non-bank firms.
• Businesses anticipate inflation to be slightly above 5 percent in July due to the delayed impact of elevated global energy prices and geopolitical tensions affecting freight costs.

A new survey reveals that over 50,000 Kenyans returned from overseas in 2025, with the majority citing job losses or expiring contracts as the primary reasons.

• 59.2% of returnees, totaling 29,892 individuals, were driven back by job termination or contract expiry.
• The survey was conducted by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) in collaboration with the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) and Financial Sector Deepening Kenya (FSD Kenya).
• Entrepreneurship was the second-largest reason for return, with 7.6% of returnees coming back to start businesses.