Kenyans Dumping Zuku Over Wi-Fi Hitches

Zuku, the Wananchi Group-owned telecommunication and entertainment company, is battling a PR nightmare as a discontent among its customers in Kenya continues to dominate discourse on social media. Several high-profile figures including singer Avril and entertainment executive David Muriithi are among those who have declared that they will be moving to other wi-fi service providers due to connectivity hitches.

I have really tried but weh .. Zuku it’s been real. Adios. Don’t even know what account to tag anymore. Alternative recommendations tafadhalini.

— Avril 🇰🇪🇰🇪 (@AvrilKenya) January 7, 2023

Zuku had notified its customers of service disruptions in several parts of the capital, Nairobi over the past two days, texting: “We’re experiencing a technical fault in your area that might affect your services. Apologies for the inconvenience as we work on restoration. Thank you.”

The widespread service disruption sparked a wave of complaints against Zuku, with numerous customers taking to social media to express dissatisfaction with their service over the years. For two days, Zuku has been among the biggest trending topics in the country.

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A section of Kenyans even launched an online petition demanding that the government investigate Zuku and its practices – claiming customers are owed refunds for the poor service. Among those who supported and shared the petition is rapper Wangechi, who joined in demanding refunds for affected customers.

Zuku needs to refund everybody for the downtime this month. I can’t pay and have little to no connection everyday @ZukuAmazing Fix your service!

— WANGECHI (@wangechikenya) January 7, 2023

“I implore you to join me in urging our ICT ministry to take immediate action against Zuku and hold them accountable for their actions,” the petition reads in part.

Others encouraged customers to file complaints with the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) over their experiences with Zuku. In a statement shared on Monday, January 9th as the outcry hit feverpitch, Zuku sought to assure customers that it was addressing the disruption.

“Zuku Fiber is experiencing intermittent downtime on its network in some areas, which may affect the quality of services. Our teams are working to restore services in the affected areas within the shortest time possible,” the company stated. In response, some customers demanded refunds for the days-long disruption.

Zuku urged affected customers to share details including the days they experienced the disruption for ‘credit review’.

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