Meta’s platforms, Facebook and Instagram, are swallowing up the lion’s share of Kenya’s digital advertising market, accounting for 79 percent of all online ad spend by local companies and underlining their grip on a sector that many homegrown players are trying to break into.
According to the Communications Authority of Kenya, in the three months to September 2025 Facebook pulled in Sh6.1 billion from Kenyan advertisers, representing 52 percent of total digital ad expenditure, while Instagram earned Sh3.2 billion, or 27 percent. Together, the two platforms outperformed global competitors such as Google, X, TikTok and others, some of which have a physical footprint in the country. The regulator noted in its quarterly audience measurement report that Meta platforms dominate digital investment and remain the preferred channels for most brands.
The CA cautioned that this heavy dependence on Meta exposes advertisers to risks tied to algorithm changes and data privacy, while also stifling innovation in local advertising technology. Facebook remains Kenya’s most widely used social network, reaching about 68 percent of adults, followed by WhatsApp at 54 percent. Instagram’s reach is far smaller at 12 percent, yet it commands a disproportionately large slice of advertising budgets, eclipsing platforms with higher usage such as TikTok at 30 percent, YouTube at 29 percent and X at 14 percent.
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Beyond Meta, programmatic display networks account for nine percent of digital ad spending, with the remainder split among other platforms. X took eight percent of spend during the period, YouTube 2.3 percent, Google Display 1.6 percent and TikTok just 0.2 percent, despite being the fastest-growing platform by user numbers in Kenya.
Critics point out that Meta’s dominance is further amplified by the fact that it has no physical presence in Kenya and is not subject to local advertising regulations that restrict promotions in areas such as gambling and capital markets. This, analysts argue, creates an uneven playing field. Technology lawyer Mercy Mutemi of Oversight Lab Africa says local advertisers face strict rules on content, audience and timing, unlike foreign platforms.
Globally, Meta’s platforms account for about 23 percent of total digital advertising revenue, compared with Google’s ecosystem, including YouTube and its display network, which commands roughly 24 to 27 percent.
