Facebook users in Kenya and across the globe faced a frustrating start to their Sunday. Thousands of people reported that they could not access the social media giant’s desktop website.
Many were met with a blank screen or a specific error message instead of their usual feeds.
Kenyan users were among those reporting significant issues when trying to log in via computers and laptops. On X, formerly Twitter, a user named TimooKenya shared his experience of the problem. He stated: “Looks like Facebook is currently down.”
Desktop users locked out
The technical glitch appeared to be limited to the browser version of the platform. While desktop users struggled, those using the mobile application found that the service worked as usual.
This meant people could still scroll through their phones, but their laptops remained disconnected.
“Account Temporarily Unavailable. Your account is currently unavailable due to a site issue. We expect this to be resolved shortly. Please try again in a few minutes,” read the screens.
When users tried to open the site, they received a brief notification. It told them their account was “temporarily unavailable” due to a site issue. The message asked them to try again in a few minutes. However, for many, the wait lasted much longer.
Thousands of reports
Data from Downdetector, a website that monitors service outages, showed a massive spike in complaints. By 8:45 am, more than 4,400 users had reported problems with the social media platform. Later in the day, report numbers continued to fluctuate, with another 3,000 complaints registered by10:00 am.
The outage did not just hit Facebook. Other services owned by Meta, including Instagram and Messenger, were also affected. This indicated a wider global problem within the company’s network.
Recurring technical issues
Many users expressed their anger that this was not the first time they had faced such problems. One person noted that this was the third time in a single month they had experienced a desktop login failure. Another user, Emma, shared her frustration on Downdetector.
She wrote: “So blooming annoying. Keep getting ‘Account Temporarily Unavailable. Your account is currently unavailable due to a site issue. We expect this to be resolved shortly. Please try again in a few minutes.’“
For those using the site for business, the downtime was especially costly. One user who was trying to manage his marketing campaigns posted a complaint on social media. He said: “Facebook is down A man can’t even optimise his ads in peace on a Sunday.”
As the day progressed, reports continued to pour in from across the world.Meta has not yet provideda specific reason for why the desktop version of its platforms failed while the apps remained stable. Users are still waiting for a full return to service on all devices.
