Starlink Pauses New Sign-Ups in Seven Kenyan Counties While Expanding Capacity After Subscriber Growth

Starlink has suspended new customer sign-ups in seven Kenyan counties after demand exceeded available network capacity. The affected areas are Nairobi, Kiambu, Mombasa, Machakos, Murang’a, Kirinyaga and Kwale. Prospective residential users attempting to order service are redirected to a waiting list.

@SawyerMerritt reported that the suspension was confirmed through a Business Daily spot check of the Starlink website on Tuesday. The company’s message to customers states that service is at capacity in their area but allows a deposit to reserve a spot on the waitlist. The message adds that no timeframe for restored availability can be provided while teams work to expand capacity.

Starlink launched commercial operations in Kenya in July 2023 as the country’s first low-earth orbit satellite broadband provider. By the end of March 2026 it had 24,999 subscriptions, representing a 0.9 percent share of the fixed internet market, according to Communications Authority of Kenya data. That figure more than tripled from 8,063 customers recorded in June 2024.

The company reduced hardware prices from roughly Sh100,000 to Sh49,900 and introduced a rental option at Sh1,950 per month. It also offers a 50-gigabyte monthly package for Sh1,300. These changes supported subscriber growth that has now outpaced satellite resources serving the listed counties.