Govt breaks silence after cyberattack incident hits President Ruto’s website
By Sharon Atieno, July 18, 2026The government has confirmed a cybersecurity incident affecting the official website of President William Ruto, saying there is no evidence that sensitive data was accessed, stolen or lost.
In a statement shared on X on Saturday, July 18, 2026, Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications and the Digital Economy William Kabogo said the ICT Authority had activated established cybersecurity incident response protocols after detecting the incident.
“Upon detection of the incident, ICT Authority immediately activated established cybersecurity incident response protocols,” Kabogo said.
Website access restricted
Kabogo said access to the presidential website was temporarily restricted as a precautionary measure to facilitate containment, forensic analysis and restoration efforts.
He said mitigation measures had since been implemented, with restoration of the website underway.
“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,” the CS said.
The Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy said the ICT Authority was working with relevant government agencies and technical partners to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.
Hackers demanded Ksh41.3m ransom
The government statement comes hours after reports emerged that the president’s official website had been compromised, with hackers demanding five bitcoins to restore access.
At the current market price of approximately Ksh8.26 million per bitcoin, the ransom demand was equivalent to about Ksh41.3 million.
The demand was displayed on the website’s homepage, with the hackers setting a deadline for payment.
“This message is the third time for you or we leak everything about you. Do a payment of five Bitcoin to the Bitcoin wallet if you want peace before 6 o’clock this evening,” the hackers said in a message displayed on the website.
The attackers also threatened to release what they described as sensitive government information if the ransom was not paid.
Govt launches forensic investigation
The latest incident comes amid growing concerns over the increasing threat of cybercrime targeting Kenya’s digital infrastructure.
A report by the National Computer and Cybercrime Coordination Committee (NC4) released in June showed that Kenya recorded more than three billion cyberattacks targeting government systems, cloud services and critical digital infrastructure over a three-month period.
Nairobi recorded the highest number of reported cybercrime cases, including unauthorised access to computer systems, computer fraud, identity theft and cyber harassment.
The report was presented to Principal Secretary for Internal Security and National Administration Raymond Omollo, who chairs the NC4.
The committee has since been working with key sectors, including banking, telecommunications, aviation and energy, to strengthen cyber defences and improve resilience against attacks.
The NC4 is also developing a Rapid Reference Guide to standardise the investigation and prosecution of cybercrime cases across the country.
Kabogo said the ongoing forensic investigation would establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident as the government works to restore the Presidential website.