Ministry websites restored as PS Omollo vows hackers will “face the full force of the law”
“Anyone implicated in this crime will face the full force of the law,” he warned, signalling the government’s zero-tolerance stance toward cybercrime.
A screenshot of an encryption showing on the hacked Ministry websites.
By Ruth Sang
The Kenyan government has moved to reassure the public after several ministry websites were disrupted Monday morning following a coordinated cyberattack targeting the country. Authorities confirmed the situation has been brought under control and that access to most of the affected platforms has since been restored.
According to officials, the attackers-who identified themselves as “PCP@Kenya”-briefly interfered with the normal functioning of various government sites, rendering them temporarily inaccessible. The incident has triggered an immediate response from the State, with cybersecurity teams mobilized to assess, contain, and reverse the damage.
On November 17, Interior Ministry Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo issued a statement detailing the swift action taken by the government. He said that immediately after the intrusion was detected, technical teams activated incident response and recovery mechanisms to neutralize the threat with the involvement of relevant ICT and security stakeholders.
Omollo has just confirmed that the situation is now stable, adding that authorities remain vigilant.
“Our systems are undergoing continuous monitoring. We are strengthening multi-layered security measures, enhancing response capabilities, and ensuring that any suspicious activities are detected early, contained promptly, resolved decisively, and their impact minimized,” the PS noted.
He condemned the attack, stressing that such acts violate Kenyan laws as well as international cybersecurity standards. Omollo cited a number of legislation, including the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, the Kenya Information and Communications Act, and the Data Protection Act, under which those responsible will be prosecuted.
“Anyone implicated in this crime will face the full force of the law,” he warned, signaling the government’s zero-tolerance stance toward cybercrime.
A scan of the attack by Citizen Digital revealed that at least eight ministries were affected: the Ministries of Interior, Health, Education, Environment, Energy, Labour, and Water. The websites could not be visited as they showed disturbing messages that read “Access denied by PCP,” “We will rise again,” “White power worldwide,” and “14:88 Heil Hitler,” indicating the attackers’ extremist motives.
Although most websites had been successfully restored by the time of reporting, the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Environment portals were still offline, as technical teams continued with system recovery processes. The incident has revived discussions on digital security and the strengthening of protections across the board on government platforms, with cyber threats being increasingly sophisticated. The government indicates it is committed to reinforcing its digital infrastructure to protect public information and ensure continuity in service delivery.
About Author
