Several key Kenyan government websites were targeted in a coordinated cyberattack on Monday morning, leaving users unable to access important online services. The attackers defaced affected sites, altering their visual content and leaving messages such as: “Access denied by PCP,” “We will rise again,” “White power worldwide,” and “14:88 Heil Hitler.”
Among the disrupted state departments were the Immigration Department, Directorate of Public-Private Partnerships, Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), and the State House website. Other services affected included the Hustler Fund, Immigration State Department, and the Government Press. Nairobi County systems also experienced outages during the cyber incidents.
Despite the scale of the attack, some key ministries reportedly remained unaffected. Defence and Treasury websites were operational, according to a spot check by Kenyans.co.ke. Meanwhile, major public service portals such as eCitizen, the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), the Judiciary, the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), and the National Police Service were reported to be running normally at the time of publication.
As of now, neither the government nor the affected agencies have issued official statements regarding the disruptions. Additionally, no group has formally claimed responsibility for the attack, leaving the motive unclear.
Kenya has experienced similar cyberattacks in the past. In 2023, several government websites were targeted by a Sudanese hacker group. The group claimed responsibility, alleging the attacks were retaliation against Kenyan interference in Sudanese affairs. However, the claims were not backed by verifiable evidence.
The repeated targeting of government websites highlights growing cybersecurity challenges for Kenyan institutions, particularly as online services become increasingly central to public access to government functions. Authorities are expected to investigate the incident and restore affected services while assessing potential security gaps to prevent future attacks.
Kenyans are advised to remain cautious when accessing government portals and to report any suspicious online activity to relevant authorities.
