American tech giant Meta’s platforms, Facebook and Instagram, account for 79 percent of digital advertising spend by Kenyan companies, highlighting dominance in a fast-growing industry that hundreds of local firms are also attempting to crack.
In the three months to September 2025, Facebook earned Sh6.1 billion from digital ads placed by Kenyan firms, accounting for 52 percent of the total spend, while its sister platform Instagram took Sh3.2 billion, or 27 percent, according to the Communications Authority of Kenya.
With a combined 79 percent, the Meta platforms’ revenues from Kenya dwarfed earnings by top global rivals such as Google, X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok, among others, some of which are domiciled in the country.
“Meta platforms hold 79 percent of digital investment, making them top preferred digital channels by most brands,” said the regulator in its quarterly audience measurement report.
“The heavy reliance on Meta platforms exposes advertisers to algorithmic volatility and data privacy risks, while limiting innovation in local ad tech solutions.”
Facebook is currently Kenya’s most used social media platform, used by about 68 percent of the country’s adults, according to data from the authority. It is closely followed by WhatsApp — also owned by Meta — with about 54 percent of adults using it.
Instagram, however, is used by just 12 percent of Kenyans, yet takes up a significant share of digital advertising spend among Kenyan companies, dwarfing more popular platforms such as TikTok, whose usage stands at 30 percent, YouTube at 29 percent, and X at 14 percent.
After the two Meta platforms, programmatic display networks — automated systems that place advertisements on websites — account for nine percent of digital advertising spend in the country, with other platforms sharing the remainder.
X captured eight percent during the period, YouTube 2.3 percent, Google Display, which places ads on websites, 1.6 percent, while TikTok took just 0.2 percent, despite being Kenya’s fastest-growing platform by usage.
Despite this dominance, Meta has no physical presence in Kenya and is not bound by local advertising laws that limit certain promotions, such as gambling or capital markets products.
Analysts argue this reflects a skewed competitive market, as local advertising platforms must adhere to stringent regulatory requirements that foreign giants may flout without consequences.
“Local advertisers are regulated comprehensively with rules governing the content, audience and timing of their adverts,” argued Mercy Mutemi, a technology lawyer and executive director of Oversight Lab Africa, a charity that advocates for fair regulation and deployment of technology.
“Enforcement of these regulations has not been extended to digital platforms. What this lack of oversight has caused is the saturation of these platforms with content that is harmful, whose viewership the platforms capitalise on to increase their advertisement revenue.”
Globally, the two Meta platforms account for just 23 percent of total digital advertising revenue, while Google’s platforms, including YouTube and its display network, account for about 24 to 27 percent.
Other companies, including Microsoft, TikTok, X and other programmatic networks, account for nearly half of global digital advertising spend. This contrasts sharply with the situation in Kenya, where they account for less than 20 percent.
Regulatory gap
Kenya’s digital advertising market is among the highest globally. In 2025, it accounted for about 25.1 percent of total advertising spending, according to estimates by technology trends monitoring firm Data Reportal.
On average, companies spend Sh555 per internet user on digital advertising, with total spend accounting for about 0.4 percent of the country’s GDP.
“This data signals that there’s a huge regulatory gap and through it, not only is our local industry being disrupted unfairly, but also numerous opportunities for the exploitation of the public are being created. A different approach is needed if we are to ensure consumer and antitrust protection,” avers Ms Mutemi.
