Govt says no sensitive data compromised in cyberattack on President’s website
The Government has assured Kenyans that no sensitive data was accessed or lost following the cyberattack that compromised the official website of the President.
In a statement on Saturday, Information, Communications and the Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo said the Government was aware of the cybersecurity incident affecting president.go.ke and had immediately activated its incident response mechanisms.
According to Kabogo, the ICT Authority restricted access to the website shortly after detecting the attack to facilitate containment, forensic analysis and restoration.
“Upon detection, the ICT Authority immediately activated established cybersecurity incident response protocols. The website was temporarily restricted to facilitate containment, forensic analysis and restoration efforts,” he said.
Kabogo said restoration of the website is ongoing and assured the public that government digital systems remain secure.
“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 Cabinet Secretary added that the ICT Authority is working with relevant government agencies and technical partners to conduct a comprehensive forensic investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the breach.
The President’s official website was hacked on Saturday, July 18, 2026, with attackers replacing its homepage with unauthorised messages targeting President William Ruto.
The hackers also published a cryptocurrency wallet address and demanded a ransom of five Bitcoins, threatening to release unspecified information if the payment was not made within the stated deadline.
The defaced homepage displayed altered banners while retaining the official State House branding in the background.
State House earlier confirmed it was aware of the cyberattack and said its ICT team was handling the matter.
The incident has renewed concerns over the security of government digital infrastructure, although authorities have not indicated whether the breach extended beyond the website’s homepage to backend systems.
Based on current cryptocurrency exchange rates, the demanded five Bitcoins are valued at approximately Sh41.3 million.
The latest breach is not the first cyberattack targeting government systems. In November 2025, several government websites, including those of State House and the ministries responsible for Health, Education, Labour, Environment, ICT, Tourism and Interior, were compromised in what authorities described as a coordinated cyberattack.