The digital content industry has grown to approximately Sh1.27 trillion, positioning creators as major economic contributors alongside traditional sectors.
This was revealed at the launch of the Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE) Awards in Nairobi on Monday, with the study by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), Baraza Media Lab, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), and UNESCO linking the growth to rapid advancements in mobile technology and rising social media engagement.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the BAKE Awards continue to serve as the premier platform for recognizing and honouring exceptional talent within Kenya’s vibrant digital landscape.
This shift provides creators across TikTok, YouTube, Spotify and podcasting, and traditional blogging platforms with a predictable annual rhythm to showcase their work.
This momentum is reshaping advertising strategies and creating new business opportunities, even as it raises fresh regulatory and inclusivity questions.
Last year also saw a significant jump in mobile broadband usage, with smartphone penetration hitting 83.5 per cent by mid-2025.
The transition to faster 4G and 5G networks is reshaping content consumption patterns and accelerating the shift toward digital advertising.
Speaking during the launch, BAKE chairman, Kennedy Kachwanya, said that the 2026 edition aims to spotlight the professionalization of content creation, celebrating creators who have successfully transitioned from hobbyists to sustainable business owners and industry leaders.
“We’re no longer looking at digital media only as a pastime. It is an industry that’s creating jobs, driving innovation, and establishing Kenya as a continental leader in digital entrepreneurship,’’ BAKE chairman, Kennedy Kachwanya said.
The digital economy is projected to contribute up to 9.24 per cent of the country’s GDP this year, fueled by a booming e-commerce market expected to surpass Sh1 trillion in value.
In addition to boosting GDP, the report suggests that the digital economy will create approximately 300,000 jobs and generate $1 billion in tax revenue by 2028.
This aligns with the Kenya Kwanza government’s vision, which has identified digitalization as a crucial pillar for economic growth and employment creation.
The government’s plans to integrate digital technologies across various sectors aim to unlock economic potential, providing new opportunities and increasing national income levels, especially for youth and rural communities.
Yet, beneath this vibrant surface of growth and opportunity lies a landscape of escalating, and often unseen, costs impacting everything from national security to individual mental health.
The most significant threat is the explosion in cybercrime. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) reported staggering 2.54 billion cyber threat incidents, a 201.7per cent increase from the previous quarter.
By the second quarter (April to June 2025), this figure surged another 80.7 per cent to 4.5 billion threats. According to the National Kenya Computer Incident Response Team – Coordination Centre (KE-CIRT/CC), these attacks, increasingly sophisticated due to the use of Artificial Intelligence, primarily target system vulnerabilities in critical sectors like government, finance, and healthcare.
The cost of these breaches is immense; in 2023, cybercrime cost the Kenyan economy an estimated $83 million, with individual businesses spending an average of $4.35 million each to recover from attacks.
by VICTOR AMADALA
