Facebook Overtakes TikTok as Kenya’s Top Social Platform

In a recent discovery, Facebook has now surpassed TikTok as Kenya’s second-most popular online platform for the year 2025. This is indicating a change in the country’s social media ecosystem. The shift also coincides with Facebook, which is owned by Meta, intentionally emphasising algorithm-driven content recommendations and short-form videos in order to draw in an increasing number of users in the Kenya Nationale.

Google continues to be the most popular platform globally and also in every nation, however Instagram and WhatsApp are also now more popular than YouTube and Microsoft. TikTok, which was at the top in 2024, has dropped to a seventh place position this year, according to data from Cloudflare, a worldwide supplier of online infrastructure and traffic monitoring.

Also from early 2025, it was seen that 63.2% of Kenyans used Facebook, followed by WhatsApp (52.9%) and TikTok (29.2%).

The popularity of Reels, a feature that was first introduced on Instagram and then incorporated into Facebook and offers full-screen vertical videos with an algorithm which is similar to TikTok’s “For You” page, is responsible for Facebook’s comeback.

Every of its users can now find videos from accounts they do not follow and thanks to the platform’s shift from a friends-and-family-first News Feed to an algorithm-driven approach, which is said to have boost engagement. After Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, Cloudflare observes that Snapchat is now surpassing X, the previous Twitter app, which is no longer among Kenya’s top ten social media platforms.

With ChatGPT, QuillBot, and GitHub Copilot among the most popular tools, Kenya’s generative AI platforms are also becoming more popular. For the first time, ChatGPT was listed as Kenya’s fifth most popular search engine, indicating the increasing use of AI-driven information platforms.

The change in social media preferences highlights Kenya’s changing digital habits, as 52 percent of web traffic now comes from the mobile devices, with Android accounting for 92 percent which is said to the highest so far. 

Kenyan internet users are increasingly steadily with the use of a variety of devices, as evidenced by the steadily rising share of Apple’s iOS smartphones.

Tech analysts has argued that Facebook’s move mirrors a global push toward short-form video content as platforms work to further user engagements, compete more effectively, and cater to younger demographics. A Cloudflare representative had also stated that Reels and algorithmic recommendations, which have successfully captured users’ attention, are the primary focus and drivers of the surge in Facebook usage.

Influencer campaigns, digital marketing tactics, and content production in Kenya are anticipated to be impacted by this development as creators and businesses adjust their presence on platforms where engagement is changing quickly.

Facebook’s performance can also be attributed to the low-end handsets and “free mode” options from the regional providers like Safaricom, which permit access without active data packages, which further bolster the company’s dominance.

These articles also examine Facebook’s ascent to become Kenya’s most popular social media platform in 2025, providing information on platform accessibility, growth drivers, and user data.