Kenyan President's Website Hacked, Ransom of 5 Bitcoins Demanded

• •Hackers demanded 5 Bitcoins, equivalent to approximately $320,000, from the Kenyan government.
• •The president's official website was defaced with derogatory messages targeting William Ruto.
• •Emergency protocols were activated, and no evidence of sensitive data compromise has been found.

On July 18, 2026, hackers breached the official website of Kenyan President William Ruto, demanding a ransom of 5 Bitcoins (approximately $320,000) to restore access. The attackers defaced the homepage with insulting messages directed at the president and threatened to leak sensitive information if their demands were not met by 6 PM the same day. The Kenyan government confirmed the incident, stating that emergency protocols were activated and access to the site was temporarily restricted for forensic analysis. Preliminary investigations indicated no evidence of unauthorized access to sensitive data. This incident marks the second cyberattack on the president's website within a year, raising concerns about the security of government digital infrastructure. The attack highlights the vulnerability of public digital platforms amid rising cybercrime in Kenya.