Readers to The Standard’s digital platform encountered a temporary outage Thursday, with the site displaying a Cloudflare “Connection timed out” error (code 522) indicating a failure to reach the origin server.
The interruption came as the press there provided extensive real-time coverage of protests and police action marking the second anniversary of the deadly 2024 Gen Z-led demonstrations.
As the police barricaded major roads into the capital and security forces locked down key routes ahead of demonstrations, the Standard Media Group’s digital platforms served as a vital source of real-time reporting on unfolding events, which became inaccessible to many users on Thursday afternoon due to the outage.
According to Cloudflare, an Error 522 typically occurs when a website’s server fails to answer requests in time because of overload, connectivity problems, firewall issues, or other technical failures.
The website later returned online.
The disruption came less than 24 hours after President William Ruto publicly clashed with the media house. On Wednesday, Ruto took to social media to accuse the outlet of running an “extortionist propaganda” campaign against his administration, directly referencing its ownership links and challenging it to “do your worst.” The Standard responded robustly, defending its editorial independence and criticising the tone of the president’s remarks as beneath the dignity of his office.
The timing has raised immediate questions about press freedom in a country where independent journalism has come under increasing strain. Only hours earlier, the Standard had been running a prominent live blog titled “LIVE BLOG: Police seal key CBD entry points ahead of anniversary protests,” providing detailed updates on the security deployments and public response.
The paper has often adopted an adversarial posture toward President William Ruto’s administration, particularly over governance, public debt, taxation and accountability. The newspaper was among media houses providing extensive coverage of the anniversary demonstrations and the continuing demands for justice from families of those killed during the 2024 protests.
Journalists and media watchers noted a broader pattern. Media organisations, including the Standard Group, have previously defied government directives aimed at restricting live coverage of protests. Such tensions have intensified as Kenya commemorates the 2024 demonstrations, during which “security forces” killed dozens, with reports citing around 65 victims in some accounts, while the BBC has referenced figures closer to 80 in connection with past unrests.
Authorities have not commented on the Standard’s outage. Technical explanations, such as bandwidth issues, server problems or routine maintenance by the communications regulator or internet service providers, remain possible. Kenya’s Department of ICT and the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) have faced past criticism over internet disruptions and directives during periods of heightened political tension.
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