Opera Mini has emerged as Kenya’s most popular web browser app, commanding a 3.4% user base in the fourth quarter of 2023. This is according to the latest Audience Measurement and Industry Trends (Q2 2023-2024) report released by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CAK).
This marks a significant milestone, as Opera Mini surpassed Google’s Chrome browser, which had a 2.8% usage share during the same period. Opera Mini’s dominance over Chrome comes shortly after Opera announced that its payment platform, Opera MiniPay, had exceeded 1 million active users across Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana.
This achievement can be attributed to Opera Mini’s focus on providing a streamlined browsing experience, especially in areas with limited internet connectivity or data constraints.
Opera Mini’s lightweight nature could have contributed to its dominance, as it is designed to consume minimal data and load websites quickly, making it an attractive choice for users with limited data plans or slower internet connections.
Facebook Overtakes WhatsApp in Social Media Dominance
The data revealed that 47.5% of Kenyans utilized Facebook, while 47.3% favored WhatsApp. Despite the neck-and-neck race between Facebook and WhatsApp, both apps maintained their position as the undisputed leaders in the Kenyan social media ecosystem, significantly outpacing their closest competitors.
YouTube Cements Third Place, TikTok Dips
Google’s video streaming platform, YouTube, solidified its third-place standing, with 21% of Kenyans using the platform during the quarter. This marks an impressive increase from the 18.6% usage rate recorded in the preceding quarter, further cementing YouTube’s status as a go-to destination for video content consumption in the country.
While the top three social media giants experienced growth in their user bases, the fast-rising Chinese viral video platform TikTok witnessed a slight decline in its reach.
The report indicated that 17% of Kenyans used TikTok during the quarter, down from 19.3% in the previous quarter. Despite this dip, TikTok’s popularity remains significant, particularly among younger demographics.
Instagram and X (Twitter) Gain Traction
Instagram, another Meta-owned platform, secured the fourth position as the most used social media app in Kenya, with 11.8% of users engaging with the photo and video-sharing platform.
This figure represents a notable increase from the 8.9% usage rate recorded in the quarter ending September 2023, underscoring Instagram’s growing appeal among Kenyan users.
X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, also experienced a surge in its user base, climbing to 7.9% from 7.5% in the previous quarter. This growth solidifies X’s position as the sixth most popular social media platform in Kenya, reflecting the continued demand for real-time updates and microblogging services.
Google’s Share Dips Amid AI Competition
Interestingly, Google witnessed a decline in its user base in Kenya. The report revealed that 6.9% of Kenyans used Google during the quarter, a decrease from the 8.2% usage rate recorded in the previous quarter.
This trend may be indicative of the growing interest in AI-powered search and information retrieval tools among Kenyan users.
Other Notable Platforms
Other notable social media platforms mentioned in the report include Telegram, which retained its 2% user base, and LinkedIn and Snapchat, both garnering 0.7% of Kenyan users.
For LinkedIn, this figure represents an increase from the 0.5% usage rate in the previous quarter, highlighting the platform’s growing relevance in the professional networking space.
The CAK’s report provides valuable insights into the ever-evolving digital landscape in Kenya, shedding light on the preferences and behaviors of users across various platforms and applications.
As technology continues to shape our daily lives, these trends will undoubtedly influence the strategies of service providers, marketers, and content creators seeking to engage with the dynamic Kenyan market effectively.
You can download the full report here.
