An Interpol report released in 2026 has identified Kenya as one of East Africa’s prime targets for cybercriminal activities, particularly highlighting the exploitation of mobile money platforms and vulnerabilities in telecom infrastructure.

The Interpol African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026 revealed that Kenya experienced over 46,700 Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks in the first half of 2025 alone. These attacks, which overwhelm networks with excessive traffic to disrupt services, mainly targeted the country’s telecom companies, critical for millions of users.

Kenya’s Communications Authority reported hundreds of millions of intrusion attempts on government and ICT systems between July and September 2025. Common tactics included brute-force attacks and system exploitation, which wear down digital defences over time.

Notably, on July 18, 2025, the official website of President William Ruto was hacked and defaced, with attackers demanding a ransom of approximately Ksh41 million in Bitcoin.

The report also flagged a dramatic 327% rise in SIM swap fraud during 2025, with over 123,000 fraudulent SIM cards issued and about USD 3.8 million stolen from mobile wallets.

Regional Context

Compared to its East African neighbours, Kenya’s cybercrime challenges are particularly severe. Uganda’s Electricity Transmission Company suffered a ransomware attack in August 2025, while Tanzania and Rwanda also faced SIM swap fraud issues amid difficulties implementing biometric verification.

Across Africa, South Africa leads in ransomware detections, accounting for 92% of cases continent-wide. West Africa remains a hotspot for Business Email Compromise scams, with Nigeria and Cabo Verde heavily affected.

Interpol warns that the lack of a coordinated regional approach allows cybercriminals to exploit jurisdictional gaps, making it easier to conduct cross-border attacks.

  • Kenya recorded over 46,700 DDoS attacks targeting telecoms in early 2025
  • SIM swap fraud surged by 327%, resulting in millions lost
  • Presidential website hacked with ransom demand of Ksh41 million
  • Regional neighbours also face cyber threats but Kenya’s numbers stand out
  • Interpol calls for unified East African cybercrime response to curb attacks

These findings underscore the urgent need for strengthened cybersecurity frameworks in Kenya and the broader East African region to safeguard digital infrastructure and financial systems.