East Africa: Interpol Flags Kenya Among East Africa's Most Targeted Digital Economies

What the report says

INTERPOL’s latest African Cyberthreat Assessment, cited by Capital FM and distributed by AllAfrica, says Kenya is among East Africa’s most exposed digital economies as cybercriminals increasingly target mobile money, telecom networks and government systems. The report focuses on risks linked to Kenya’s fast-growing use of digital financial services and e-government platforms, which make the country an attractive target for organized online crime.

According to the report, telecom operators faced tens of thousands of distributed denial-of-service attacks in the first half of 2025, while government ICT systems also saw repeated intrusion attempts and a rise in phishing activity. INTERPOL further warned of a sharp increase in SIM-swap fraud investigations, noting large numbers of fraudulent SIM cards and significant losses tied to mobile wallet theft. These findings underline how criminals are exploiting weak identity checks and uneven know-your-customer practices to take over phone numbers and reach financial accounts.

The assessment matters because Kenya’s digital economy is central to everyday payments, business activity and public services. INTERPOL urged governments, regulators, banks and telecom companies to improve cybersecurity defenses and coordinate across borders. More broadly, the report reflects a wider regional challenge: as East African economies digitize, the scale and sophistication of cyberattacks appear to be rising alongside them.