Kenya has emerged as one of East Africa’s biggest targets for cybercriminals, with attackers increasingly exploiting mobile money platforms, telecommunications networks and gaps in digital security, according to a new Interpol report.
The Interpol African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026 highlights Kenya as a major hub for mobile money fraud and infrastructure-focused ransomware attacks, warning that the country’s rapid digital growth has outpaced efforts to protect critical systems.
The report shows that Kenya recorded more than 46,786 Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks in the first half of 2025, with the attacks largely targeting telecommunications companies that support millions of users across the country.
DDoS attacks involve overwhelming a website, server or network with massive amounts of internet traffic from multiple compromised devices, making services slow or completely inaccessible to legitimate users.
“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 report stated.
The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) also reported hundreds of millions of attempted intrusions targeting government systems and ICT infrastructure between July and September.
Many of the attacks relied on brute-force techniques and system exploitation, where criminals repeatedly attempt to break through security systems or take advantage of existing vulnerabilities.
One of the high-profile incidents involved the hacking of the official website of President William Ruto on July 18. The attackers defaced the website’s homepage with a message targeting the President and demanded a Bitcoin ransom estimated at about Ksh41 million.
The report also highlights a sharp rise in SIM swap fraud, which increased by 327 per cent in 2025. More than 123,000 fraudulent SIM cards were reportedly issued, resulting in approximately $3.8 million being stolen from mobile wallets.
Compared with other East African countries, Kenya’s cybercrime challenges stand out due to the size and popularity of its digital financial ecosystem.
Uganda also faced a major cyber incident after the Electricity Transmission Company suffered a suspected ransomware attack in August, affecting a critical national infrastructure system.
Tanzania and Rwanda have similarly reported SIM swap-related fraud, although telecom operators in both countries continue facing challenges in implementing stronger real-time biometric verification systems.
Across Africa, Southern Africa continues to record the highest number of cyberattacks, with South Africa accounting for about 92 per cent of ransomware detections on the continent.
West Africa remains a major centre for Business Email Compromise scams, with countries such as Nigeria and Cabo Verde recording significant ransomware activity linked to organised cybercrime networks.
However, Interpol warned that Kenya’s growing cyber threats within East Africa require a coordinated regional response, as criminals continue taking advantage of differences in laws, enforcement systems and cybersecurity capabilities across countries.
“The absence of a unified regional cybercrime response mechanism has allowed criminal networks to exploit jurisdictional boundaries between nations,” the report stated.
The findings come as Kenya continues expanding its digital economy, with mobile payments, online services and ICT infrastructure becoming increasingly central to daily life.