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Tough Times Ahead for Kenyans as Airtel Kenya Joins Safricom Cuts Data Bundles Offers by Over 50%, KSh 1k Plan Drops from 45GB to 22GB

Posted on by Writer John

Airtel Kenya Joins Safricom Cuts Data Bundles Offers by Over 50%, KSh 1k Plan Drops from 45GB to 22GB

 

 

Airtel Kenya quietly reduced data allocations across all four Smarta prepaid bundles.The KSh 1,500 monthly Smarta bundle took the steepest hit, losing 58GB of data and 80% of its SMS allocation Both weekly Smarta plans lost exactly half their data, while on-net call minutes dropped by as much as 77%.

 

Airtel Kenya has cut the data allowances on all four of its Smarta prepaid bundles effective August 18, 2026, without adjusting any of the prices customers already pay. Airtel Kenya has cut data on four Smarta packages.

 

 

Each bundle combines mobile data, call minutes, SMS, and a cashback benefit on Airtel Money transaction fees.How much data have Airtel subscribers lost? The most severe reduction falls on the KSh 1,500 monthly plan, which dropped from 90GB to 32GB, stripping away 58GB, a cut of 64.4%.

 

The KSh 1,000 monthly plan lost 23GB, falling from 45GB to 22GB, a reduction of 51.1%. Subscribers on the two weekly plans also took significant hits: the KSh 500 bundle was cut from 14GB to 7GB, and the KSh 300 bundle from 7GB to 3GB, both losing exactly half their data allocation.

 

Were Airtel minutes and SMS affected? Beyond data, the changes reach into other components of the Smarta bundles. On-net minutes suffered the sharpest declines, with the KSh 1,000 monthly plan dropping from 3,000 to 700 minutes, a reduction of 76.7%, and the KSh 1,500 plan falling from 3,000 to 1,000 minutes, down 66.7%.

 

 

All-network minutes were less affected, with the two weekly bundles retaining their original allocation, while the monthly plans recorded cuts of 25% and 22.2% respectively. SMS allocations on the KSh 1,500 plan also saw a steep reduction, falling from 5,000 to 1,000 messages, an 80% cut.

 

The pattern across all four bundles shows that higher-value monthly plans absorbed the most significant losses, with the Smarta 1,500 subscribers receiving considerably less value for the same monthly spend they committed to when the product was introduced.