Hackers gained control of the official website of Kenyan President William Ruto (president.co.ke) on Saturday, July 18th, and defaced the president’s official website with demeaning messages.
The unknown group responsible for the cyber attack targeted President Ruto, threatening to release ‘uncomfortable’ information if its ransom demand of 5 Bitcoins (approximately $317,215) wasn’t met.
“This message is the third time for you; before we leak everything about you,” the message on the homepage reads. “Do a payment of 5 bitcoins to the Bitcoin wallet…. If you want peace before 6 o’clock this evening.”
The Kenyan government, through a response filed by the Information and Communication Technology Cabinet Secretary, William Kabogo, confirmed the attack but assured Kenyans that no official or sensitive data was compromised.
He also clarified that emergency measures had been put in place to curtail the attack.
“At this time, there is no evidence of unauthorised access to sensitive data, data exfiltration, or loss of information,” Kabogo says. “Government systems and digital services remain secure and operational. As a precautionary measure, access to the Presidential website was temporarily restricted to facilitate containment, forensic analysis, and restoration efforts.”
One attack too many: Why are government websites easy targets?
The recent attack marks the second time within one year that this has happened. In November 2025, a cyber breach affected the president’s website and four other major ministries, including Education, Health, Interior, and Information and Communication Technology.
Some state platforms, including the Immigration Department, the Directorate of Public-Private Partnerships, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations…
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Read Full Article by Asukwo Oduo at techpoint.africa
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