Kenya was not spared either. According to Kenya Airways, the company is “experiencing a system outage that has affected our booking system as a result of a global system outage”, adding that it would share further updates once the issue was resolved.

The incident underscored the vulnerability of a digitized world that relies on only a few providers for essential computing services. In recent years, Africa has made significant strides in embracing digital transformation, with many sectors becoming heavily dependent on cloud computing, data storage and software services provided by a handful of global tech giants. Experts warn that this reliance poses significant risks to national security, economic stability and the everyday lives of millions of people.

As one of Africa's leading digital economies, Kenya is particularly at risk. The country has seen a rapid expansion of digital services, from mobile banking and e-commerce to smart agriculture and telemedicine. During state visit to the United States in May this year, President Ruto and President Biden agreed to develop Kenya's capacity through telecommunications and data infrastructure to support long-term digital growth. Both sides intended to establish a Strategic Dialogue on AI to discuss deepening collaboration to ensure the development and deployment of safe, secure, and trustworthy AI systems.

"The concentration of critical computing services in the hands of a few providers is a double-edged sword," said a cybersecurity expert based in Nairobi who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "While it has enabled rapid digital growth, it also means that a single point of failure can have widespread repercussions, potentially crippling entire sectors of the economy."

Actually, this blue screen incident is not the first time that the United States has caused a serious global disruption due to a security software update error. In May 2007, after the American antivirus software company Symantec updated its virus database, the Windows XP operating system experienced widespread blue screen errors and restarts. In July 2009, another American antivirus software company, McAfee, released a virus database update that also caused blue screen errors in Windows systems. Then, in April 2010, McAfee's virus database update triggered a false alarm, leading to millions of Windows XP systems around the world crashing with blue screen errors.

It is worth noting that with critical data being stored and managed by US companies, African countries face the risk of their data being accessed, manipulated, or withheld during international disputes. This lack of control over sensitive information could have far-reaching implications for national security, data sovereignty and security and governance.

To mitigate these risks, experts are calling for African countries, including Kenya, to diversify their digital infrastructure and invest in local capacity-building. As Kenya and other African nations continue to navigate the complexities of a digitized world, the need for a balanced and secure approach to digital development has never been more urgent. The choices made today will determine the continent's ability to thrive in an increasingly interconnected and technology-driven future.