Relief as ICT CS Kabogo confirms citizens' data wasn't compromised in Government cyberattack

Information, Communication and the Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo has reassured the public that no government or citizen data was compromised during a cyberattack targeting several State websites.

Kabogo said Kenyans should remain calm as investigations had shown no data breach occurred in the incident reported on Monday, November 17.

Speaking in Baku, Azerbaijan, where he is attending the World Telecommunications Development Conference under the International Telecommunication Union, the CS described the incident as a “simple Zero-Day attack” that only redirected domain names to hackers.

ALSO READ: ICT CS Nominee William Kabogo Declares Net Worth Of Sh3 Billion, Set To Become Second Richest CS In Ruto’s Cabinet

William Kabogo assured Kenyans that no citizens data was compromised. Photo: Nation Africa

He added that his ministry had already contained the situation and restored normal operations on most affected websites.

“It was just a simple Zero-Day attack, meaning it happened for the first time, and it’s only the domain names that were directed to the hackers. So really, we haven’t lost any data… we haven’t had any data compromise,” Kabogo said.

“We’re on top of things. Most of the sites are up and running, so there’s nothing to worry about. These things do happen, but we’re on top of stuff as a ministry,” he added.

Kabogo’s assurance came hours after Internal Security and National Administration Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo confirmed that restoration efforts were underway and warned that those behind the cyberattack would “face the full force of the law.”

Omollo noted that State agencies were working together to trace the source of the breach and seal vulnerabilities across government systems.

“The situation has since been contained, and the systems are under continuous monitoring. Our focus is on building layered defences, improving readiness, and ensuring that any attempt is detected early, contained quickly, neutralised decisively, and its impact minimised,” he said.

The affected ministries reportedly included Interior, Health, Education, Environment, Energy, Labour, and Water. Photo: Getty Images

ALSO READ: Gloria Orwoba claims Interior PS Omollo discarded her after helping him land top Gvt job

He further condemned the hacking incident, stating that it violated Kenyan law and several international conventions, including the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, the Kenya Information and Communications Act, and the Data Protection Act.

As earlier reported by multiple media outlets, several key government portals displayed defaced pages on Monday, sparking concern over the integrity of State digital systems at a time when Kenya is pushing for deeper digital adoption in public services.

The affected ministries reportedly included Interior, Health, Education, Environment, Energy, Labour, and Water.

Users attempting to access the compromised platforms were met with alarming messages such as “Access denied by PCP,” “We will rise again,” “White power worldwide,” and “14:88 Heil Hitler.”

FOLLOW NAIROBI NEWS ON FACEBOOK