Global hacktivist group Anonymous has issued a stern warning to President William Ruto and the Kenyan government amidst the ongoing Finance Bill controversy.
Today, on June 20th at 3 PM, Kenyan MPs are set to vote on the bill amid widespread public discontent. Kenyans are preparing for peaceful demonstrations to demand the complete rejection, rather than ammendment of the proposed Finance Bill.
The bill has stirred controversy for proposing oppressive taxes including on 25-year-old unemployed citizens. Over 700,000 social media posts under #RejectFinanceBill show extensive opposition. And the outrage has drawn international attention.
Recent Monday demonstrations against the bill saw over 200 people arrested across Kenya. And the police used teargas to disperse protesters, triggering public outrage and international concern over human rights abuses.
Anonymous Issues Threat
Anonymous, which has previously hacked France and U.S. cyber systems, has strongly condemned the mistreatment of peaceful protesters in Kenya.
“Kenyans attempting peaceful demonstrations are being unfairly harassed, arrested, and shot at with live bullets by the police force under your command,” the hacktivists stated.
They further issued a stark warning about potential cyber retaliation, stating, “Soon, there will be an uprising of hackers, many of them may reside in your home country.”
“Your secrets may no longer be safe, and there is a chance that all these secrets will be exposed to show how corrupt and unjust members of this parliament are, embezzling public funds for personal gain.”
Should President Ruto be Worried?
President Ruto and the Kenyan government need to be concerned because the last time the hacktivist group acted on its threat, it caused major disruptions.
Anonymous Sudan hacked the e-citizen platform for several hours on July 27, 2023, impacting thousands of government services. The group had previously warned President Ruto against deploying peacekeepers to Sudan, which they saw as meddling in Sudanese affairs.
The latest warning by Anonymous and consequent attack raise the question: How vulnerable is Kenya’s digital network and what are the risks to national security?
By Vivian K.