Kenya has emerged as one of East Africa’s leading targets for online criminals, according to Interpol’s African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026. The report links the surge in attacks to the exploitation of mobile money platforms and weak telecom security controls across the country.
DDoS Attacks Surge Against Telecom Infrastructure
The report states that Kenya recorded more than 46,786 Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks in the first half of 2025 alone, with telecom companies serving millions of Kenyans bearing the brunt of the assault.
These attacks work by flooding a target website, server, or network with excessive internet traffic generated through multiple compromised devices. As the volume overwhelms the system, real users experience slow service or, in some cases, complete outages.
The report states: “Kenya recorded more than 46,786 DDoS attacks in the first half of 2025 targeting telecoms, and was included in SOCRadar’s top phishing detection in September 2025.”
The Communications Authority (CA) of Kenya also logged hundreds of millions of intrusion attempts against government systems and ICT infrastructure between July and September, according to the report. Many of these attacks relied on brute-force attempts and system exploitation, tactics that repeatedly test and wear down digital defenses until attackers find a weakness.
President’s Website Hacked, Bitcoin Ransom Demanded
One such recent incident happened on July 18 when attackers hacked the official website of the President and defaced the homepage with a message directed at President William Ruto, demanding a Bitcoin ransom estimated at Ksh41 million.
According to the report, SIM swap fraud has proved especially damaging, rising by 327% in 2025. Attackers issued more than 123,000 fraudulent SIM cards and drained approximately USD 3.8 million from mobile wallets, the report adds.
Interpol Warns of Regional Coordination Gaps
The report notes that Kenya’s figures stand out across East Africa and warns that criminal networks will continue exploiting jurisdictional gaps unless the region strengthens coordination. Interpol states that without a unified regional response, these groups can operate across borders with limited resistance.
“The absence of a unified regional cybercrime response mechanism has allowed criminal networks to exploit jurisdictional boundaries between nations,” the report states.
The findings point to a widening gap between Kenya’s rapid digital expansion and its capacity to defend its systems, an imbalance Interpol says will require urgent regional attention.
