A recent Al Jazeera documentary has reignited debate in Kenya over digital privacy, raising claims that mobile phones have become central to an expanding surveillance system involving state agencies and telecommunications networks. The documentary dubbed 'How surveillance tools in Kenya are being turned on ordinary citizens', released on May 26, 2026, notes that the 2024 youth-led anti-government protests marked a turning point in Kenya’s protest culture due to their decentralised nature. Al Jazeera alleges that security agencies responded by relying heavily on digital surveillance methods to identify and monitor participants.

The report points out that a key entry point for surveillance was mobile phones, with phone data reportedly used to monitor and trace citizens’ movements, communications and online behaviour. Al Jazeera found that police were able to track protesters using geolocation data, monitor social media activity, and, in some cases unmask IP addresses to identify individuals involved in mobilisation. The documentary suggests this marked an escalation in the use of digital tools for crowd control and intelligence gathering. “The Kenyan state has evolved rapidly when it comes to the digitisation of state security. We have moved from what was previously targeted surveillance to indiscriminate mass surveillance. The 2024 protests were a pivotal moment in Kenya's protest organising. It was the first time we were having a youth-led protest, because predominantly protests have been organised either by political leadership or what you'd call tribal leadership, and so it was the first time a protest was being decentralised from these two centres of power,” lawyer and privacy professional at Amnesty International, Victor Ndede, said. Digital Democracy author Nanjala Nyabola added that authorities were unprepared for the scale and speed of mobilisation, adding that the only option was to fall back on digital surveillance to enforce control. “They didn't expect this size of protest this quickly, this decentralised, and the response to that, therefore, is to fall back on the mechanisms that they do have to be able to control, to police, to intimidate, which is surveillance,” she said…

The report also connected the surveillance activity to a series of abductions during the protest period. Around 82 abductions were recorded in the three months leading up to December 2024. While most of those abducted were later released, 29 individuals remain unaccounted for. The government has, however, denied involvement in the disappearances. Africa Uncensored investigative journalist Thomas Mukhwana described how surveillance allegedly plays out on the ground, leading up to the abductions. “Those abductions were done at night, they were done in broad daylight, and obviously, for someone to come for a little-known ex-user because of your activism online, they have to know exactly where you are. Someone hacks your phone when you're brought into a police station, or someone taps your phone, or somebody finds your data through a telecommunications company to know your movements and see who you're talking to,” he said… The documentary also raised concerns over the role of major telecom providers, citing Safaricom, which dominates Kenya’s mobile communications and mobile money ecosystem. It highlighted that the telecommunication company has long been accused of siding with security agencies, exposing user data, claims Safaricom has consistently denied. The documentary cited the trial of university student David Mokaya, who was charged after sharing an AI-generated image of President William Ruto in a coffin. During proceedings, a Safaricom police liaison officer testified about providing data linked to Mokaya’s location, identity and communications. During cross-examination, lawyers discovered that Mokaya's information was allegedly shared without a court order, raising legal concerns over Safaricom’s data access procedures… Al Jazeera emphasised that while Kenya’s democracy is still evolving, there are fears that civil freedoms are being eroded under President William Ruto’s administration. The publication notes that Kenya’s surveillance system is becoming more entrenched, combining state security priorities with expanding digital infrastructure. A March report cited Kenya as one of 11 African countries that have collectively spent more than $2 billion on surveillance systems, including CCTV networks, facial recognition and biometric databases, many supplied by Chinese firms. While governments often justify such systems as tools for fighting crime and terrorism, the documentary warns that rights once surrendered are difficult to reclaim. “Privacy is a foundational and important right in the context of a democracy. Once self-censorship happens, then free expression collapses, and once free expression collapses, then democracy collapses,” Ndede warned, noting that the consequences could be far-reaching.