State House Website Remains Offline Following Reported Cyberattack
News Updated: 18 July 2026 13:01 EAT
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Kenya's official State House website, www.president.go.ke�, remained inaccessible on Saturday following a reported cyberattack, raising concerns over the security of government digital infrastructure. The outage affected the Presidency's official online platform, which is used to publish presidential speeches, executive orders, press releases and other official communications.
Reports indicate that the attackers allegedly demanded Sh41 million to restore access to the website. However, by Saturday afternoon, the government had not officially confirmed the existence of a ransom demand or identified those behind the alleged breach.
Users attempting to access the website were met with an error message, preventing access to official State House content. The outage sparked widespread discussion on social media, with many questioning the resilience of critical government digital systems against cyber threats.
Authorities had not disclosed whether any sensitive government information or user data had been compromised. Initial reports suggest the attack primarily disrupted access to the website, although a full forensic investigation is expected to determine the extent of the breach.
The incident comes amid growing concerns over cyberattacks targeting government institutions in Kenya. As more public services move online, government websites and digital platforms have increasingly become targets for hackers seeking financial gain or aiming to disrupt public services.
Cybersecurity experts note that ransomware attacks typically involve hackers encrypting systems or restricting access before demanding payment in exchange for restoring services. However, experts generally discourage paying ransoms because there is no guarantee that systems will be fully restored or that stolen data will not be misused.
The Presidency had not issued an official statement explaining the outage or confirming the reported cyberattack by the time of publication. Government cybersecurity agencies are expected to conduct detailed investigations to establish how the attackers gained access to the system.
The reported breach follows previous cyber incidents involving Kenyan government websites. In recent years, several state agencies have experienced cyberattacks that temporarily disrupted online services, prompting authorities to strengthen national cybersecurity measures.
Kenya has invested heavily in expanding digital government services through platforms such as eCitizen and ministry websites. The increasing digitisation of public services has also heightened the importance of protecting government networks from evolving cyber threats.
Investigators are expected to examine server logs, network activity and security controls to determine the source of the attack, assess any damage caused and identify those responsible. The findings are likely to inform additional measures aimed at strengthening the security of government digital infrastructure.
The State House website remained inaccessible as investigations continued, with officials expected to provide updates once the assessment of the incident is complete and efforts to restore the platform have been finalised.
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FELIX MAKONA
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