Nairobi — Kenya's expanding digital economy is increasingly under threat from organised cybercriminals targeting mobile money services, telecommunications networks and government systems, according to the latest INTERPOL African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026.

The report paints a worrying picture of a rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape in East Africa, identifying Kenya as one of the region's most exposed countries due to its extensive use of mobile money and digital government services.

Among the key findings are more than 46,786 DDoS attacks against telecommunications networks in the first half of 2025, widespread intrusion attempts against government ICT systems and a sharp increase in phishing attacks.

INTERPOL also highlighted a 327 per cent rise in SIM-swap fraud investigations, with more than 123,000 fraudulent SIM cards detected and an estimated US$3.8 million stolen from mobile wallet users.

The international policing agency said criminals continue to exploit weaknesses in digital identity verification and inconsistent KYC procedures, enabling them to hijack phone numbers and access financial accounts.

It called on governments, regulators, financial institutions and telecommunications firms to strengthen cybersecurity frameworks and improve cross-border cooperation to counter increasingly sophisticated cybercrime.