NAIROBI, Kenya — In a stunning reversal of digital fortunes, Facebook has officially overtaken TikTok to become Kenya’s most popular social media platform in 2025.
According to the year-end Cloudflare Radar report released this week, Meta’s flagship platform climbed to the #2 spot of all visited websites in Kenya, trailing only the undisputed leader, Google.
This resurgence marks a dramatic comeback for Facebook, which many had written off as a “legacy” app just two years ago.
The “Reels” revolution and algorithmic warfare
The primary driver behind Facebook’s comeback is its aggressive pivot to short-form video.
By integrating Reels directly into the Facebook interface, Meta effectively cloned TikTok’s “For You” experience, keeping Kenyan users within its ecosystem longer.
Furthermore, Facebook shifted its core strategy from a “friends-and-family” feed to a discovery-based algorithm. This means Kenyans are now seeing more viral content from creators they don’t follow, a move that directly challenged TikTok’s dominance in viral entertainment.
Winners and losers: The 2025 leaderboard
The Cloudflare data reveals a broader shakeup in Kenya’s top 10 most visited websites:
- Meta dominance: Beyond Facebook’s rise, Instagram and WhatsApp both saw double-digit growth, with WhatsApp frequently peaking as the #1 most used communication tool during high-traffic events.
- The fall of X: Once the “digital town square” for Kenyans, X (formerly Twitter) has officially dropped out of the top 10. Analysts point to a decline in advertiser confidence and a shift in user behavior toward more visual, video-heavy platforms.
- TikTok’s slide: Despite its massive cultural influence, TikTok slipped to 8th place globally and saw its lead in Kenya evaporate. This is partly due to increased competition and a massive content moderation crackdown; in Q2 of 2025 alone, TikTok removed over 592,000 videos in Kenya to combat harmful material.
- The AI intruder: For the first time, ChatGPT broke into the top rankings, finishing 2025 as the 5th most popular “search engine” for Kenyans, reflecting a massive shift in how the local population seeks information.
Expert insights
Industry analysts suggest that Facebook’s victory is also tied to accessibility.
Also Read: Meta announces new 5% withholding tax deduction for Kenyan content creators
“The surge in Facebook usage is primarily driven by Reels and algorithmic recommendations, which have successfully captured users’ attention,” a Cloudflare spokesperson noted.
Unlike its competitors, Facebook remains highly optimized for low-end mobile devices and slower internet connections, making it the more reliable choice for Kenya’s vast rural and semi-urban populations.
