Elon Musk reacts as Starlink Internet subscriptions in Kenya hit over 19k

American billionaire Elon Musk has shared his satellite internet firm’s commitment to uplifting lives in Kenya and other African countries.

Musk’s remarks came after Starlink Internet recorded 19,470 active users in Kenya as of September 2025, marking the satellite provider’s highest subscriber count since entering East Africa’s economic powerhouse in July 2023.

Why Starlink is gaining subscribers in Africa

The SpaceX owner said Starlink continues to transform lives through the provision of affordable, high-speed internet more than all the NGOs combined.

“Starlink is providing Internet connectivity to schools and hospitals in Africa that had nothing or very expensive and bad connectivity before. This will do more to lift people out of poverty than all the NGOs combined,” said Musk.

Data from the Communication Authority of Kenya (CA) Sector Statistics Report showed that the total satellite internet subscriptions across the country reached 19,762 active users in Q1 of 2025/26, up from 17,939 in Q4 of 2024/25.

What’s the Starlink market share in Kenya

Safaricom PLC maintained lead in the fixed data subscriptions market share at 35.6% with Jamii Telecommunications Ltd and Wananchi Group Limited coming second and third with market shares of 20.4% and 11.8%, respectively.

Starlink internet registered a market share of 0.8% with 19,470 subscribers.

The table below shows the top 10 internet service providers in Kenya and their market share.

Source: CA, Operators’ Returns, * Includes Wananchi Group Ltd, Simbanet, and Wananchi Telecom Ltd, Provisional data for TKL