Information, Communications and the Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo has broken the government’s silence following a cybersecurity incident that affected President William Ruto’s official website, assuring Kenyans that there is no evidence sensitive government data was compromised.
In a statement issued on Saturday, July 18, Kabogo confirmed that the government had activated emergency cybersecurity response protocols immediately after detecting the incident and temporarily restricted access to the presidential website to facilitate investigations and restoration.
“The Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy is aware of reports regarding a cybersecurity incident affecting the official website of the President,” Kabogo said.
ICT Authority activated emergency response
Kabogo said the ICT Authority moved swiftly to contain the incident after it was detected.
“Upon detection of the incident, ICT Authority immediately activated established cybersecurity incident response protocols,” the Cabinet Secretary said.
He explained that access to the website was deliberately restricted as part of efforts to contain the attack and allow cybersecurity experts to investigate the incident.
“As a precautionary measure, access to the Presidential website was temporarily restricted to facilitate containment, forensic analysis and restoration efforts,” he added.
According to the ministry, mitigation measures have already been implemented and efforts to restore the website are ongoing.
Government rules out data breach
Kabogo sought to reassure Kenyans that preliminary investigations had not established any unauthorized access to sensitive government information.
“At this time, there is no evidence of unauthorized access to sensitive data, data exfiltration, or loss of information. Government systems and digital services remain secure and operational,” he said.
The statement comes after reports emerged earlier on Saturday indicating that hackers had compromised President Ruto’s official website and allegedly demanded five Bitcoins, valued at approximately KSh41 million, to restore access to the platform.
However, the government’s official statement did not comment on the reported ransom demand.
Forensic investigations underway
The Cabinet Secretary said the government has launched a comprehensive forensic investigation to establish exactly how the incident occurred.
He said the ICT Authority is working together with other government agencies and technical partners to determine the full scope of the attack.
“ICT Authority is working closely with the relevant Government agencies and technical partners to conduct a comprehensive forensic investigation and establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident,” Kabogo said.
Authorities have not indicated whether the attackers gained administrative access to the website or whether the incident was limited to disruption of public access.
Cybersecurity under renewed scrutiny
The latest incident has once again placed Kenya’s cybersecurity preparedness under the spotlight.
Government websites have increasingly become targets of cybercriminals and hacktivist groups over the past few years as Kenya continues to digitize public services.
In late 2025, several government websites—including portals belonging to ministries and state agencies—were temporarily disrupted following a coordinated cyberattack. The government later restored the affected platforms and maintained that no sensitive data had been compromised.
The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) has also disclosed that it experienced a ransomware-related cyberattack, although it said airport operations were not disrupted and no sensitive operational information was lost.
Cybersecurity experts have repeatedly warned that governments around the world are facing increasingly sophisticated attacks targeting public institutions, with ransomware attacks becoming one of the fastest-growing threats.
Website restoration continues
While the presidential website remained unavailable for parts of Saturday as restoration efforts continued, the government insisted that the incident had not affected other government digital platforms.
Kabogo reiterated that government systems remain secure and operational, adding that the ongoing forensic investigation will help establish the exact circumstances surrounding the cyber incident.
The government is expected to issue further updates once investigators complete their analysis and the presidential website is fully restored.
