Nairobi — The government's e-citizen platform reportedly suffered a cyberattack, disrupting its operations.

The hackers, known as "Anonymous Sudan," were responsible for the attack, as confirmed by ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo during an interview on Spice Fm.

Fortunately, according to Owalo, the hackers' attempt did not result in any unauthorized access to or loss of data from the platform.

"To me, this is not strange because the cyber attack is predominant across the world but there was an attack and we are already addressing that," he said.

According to Owalo, the hackers tried jamming the system by making more than ordinary requests into the system whose goal was to slow it down.

Owalo however stressed that the attack will not in any way derail the government's ongoing efforts to digitize its services.

He stated that appropriate measures were being implemented to address the situation and prevent potential future attacks by hackers.

"We are putting in place an elaborate risk mitigation framework for purposes of sustainable digitization," he said.

Owalo acknowledged that the government had anticipated such attacks, and this was a significant factor that prompted the establishment of the Office of the Data Commission.

"We have been proactive in that space and besides the Data Commission office we have constituted a multifaceted team within the government whose mandate is to ensure that they are constantly monitoring the trends in cybersecurity," he said.

With over 5,000 government services from various ministries, county governments, and agencies, the eCitizen platform serves as a comprehensive one-stop shop.

The primary objective of the platform is to simplify and digitize government services, ensuring greater accessibility and convenience for users.

Utilizing technology, the eCitizen platform strives to improve efficiency, transparency, and user experience when interacting with government services, ultimately benefiting the people of Kenya.