The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has warned foreigners travelling to Kenya that the electronic visa application and processing systems are encountering difficulties possibly due to the recent string of cyber attacks by a Sudanese hacking group.
The ministry’s Permanent Secretary Korir Sing’Oei has cited a technical issue. His Thursday statement follows confirmation by the Minister of ICT Eliud Owalo that government websites have been hacked and are currently being restored. The E-Citizen platform, which hosts the e-Visa application, is among the websites that have reportedly been targeted by Anonymous Sudan.
“The Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs of the Republic of Kenya presents its compliments to all Diplomatic Missions and International Organizations in Kenya and has the honour to inform that there is currently a challenge in the Government e-citizen platform, which is impacting the processing of e-visa,” the PS stated.
The government has expressed regret for any inconvenience caused by the cyber attack, particularly for foreign visitors who are unable to submit their visa applications on the E-Citizen portal. The ministry has informed all Diplomatic Missions and International Organizations that new technological measures are being put in place to ensure that the service provision continues despite the cyber attack. On July 27, a group of hackers identifying themselves as Sudanese Anonymous claimed responsibility for taking down several Kenyan websites, including key government sites such as E-Citizen, Kenya Power, and various private company facilities.
Sudan Anonymous has stated that their recent actions are a form of retaliation against Kenya, however, the group has not provided evidence of how the Kenyan government has interfered in Sudan. The group claims that their attack is a response to comments made by Kenyan President William Ruto regarding the ongoing conflict in Sudan which has resulted in numerous deaths. Since July 24, government websites such as e-Citizen and NTSA have experienced disruptions impacting the ability of Kenyans to apply for or renew driving licenses, birth certificates, business registrations, marriage certificates, passports, and certificates of good conduct.
That’s a declaration of war,…
That’s a declaration of war, specifically! President Ruto needs to marshal cyberspace warriors, not just to keep the country safe but also to counter punch the warlords!!!
Nonsense. There is a high…
Nonsense. There is a high probability that the Ruto administration disabled the system to show Kenyans that the country is facing an external threat in order to distract from the nationwide unpopularity he is facing. Bure kabisa.