Kenya is intensifying its fight against cyber-enabled fraud after new data showed that mobile money was involved in half of the computer fraud cases reviewed over a six-month period.
An analysis by the National Computer and Cybercrimes Coordination Committee (NC4) found that mobile money was either used as a payment method or destination in 51 of 102 reported computer fraud cases reviewed between February and July 2026.
The findings were presented during the NC4’s 36th meeting chaired by the Principal Secretary for the State Department for Internal Security and National Administration, Dr Raymond Omollo.
Mobile money fraud emerged as the largest single fraud scheme, accounting for 19 cases, or 18.6 per cent of those reviewed.
Investment and forex scams followed with 16 cases (15.7 per cent), while cryptocurrency-related schemes accounted for 12 cases (11.8 per cent).
The analysis also identified telecommunications and SIM-related indicators in 23 cases, representing 22.5 per cent of the total.
Fraud reports increased sharply from May, with 70 cases, or 68.6 per cent of the six-month total, recorded between May and July.
According to the report, July also registered the highest monthly volume, with 27 cases.
The Government is now pushing for closer monitoring of high-risk mobile money transactions, faster preservation of digital evidence and stronger coordination with telecommunications companies to support investigations.
Authorities are also prioritising intelligence gathering on investment, forex and cryptocurrency scams, alongside quicker action against fake websites, impersonation accounts and other platforms used to defraud unsuspecting Kenyans.
The Government warned that fraud complaints will be investigated and suspects prosecuted in accordance with the law.
Members of the public have been urged to exercise greater caution when using digital financial services or responding to online investment, cryptocurrency, shopping and recruitment offers.
Authorities cautioned Kenyans against sharing PINs, passwords, one-time passwords (OTPs) and other authentication credentials, while encouraging users to activate multifactor authentication where available.
The meeting brought together senior security and Government officials, including Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja, Information and Communication Technology Authority (ICTA) Chief Executive Officer Jessy Kiveu Maruti and National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) Chief Executive Officer Dr Daniel Mutegi Giti.
Meanwhile, the Kenya Computer Incident Response Team–Coordination Centre (KE-CIRT/CC) reported 2.3 billion cyber events, representing a 30 per cent decline from the previous quarter.
Ransomware, social engineering, malware, distributed denial-of-service attacks and AI-assisted attacks remained among the major cyber threats.
ICTA also briefed the Committee on the defacement of a Government website after hackers exploited a critical zero-day vulnerability affecting its content management system. Digital forensic investigations are ongoing to support possible prosecutions.
The NCIC further warned that AI-generated content, fake accounts, bots and ethnically charged narratives could amplify online tensions and deepen social divisions.
Dr Omollo reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to stronger cybersecurity coordination, faster incident response, improved investigations and prosecutions, protection of critical information infrastructure and greater public awareness.
The measures are expected to support implementation of the Kenya AI Strategy 2025 and the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda while strengthening trust in Kenya’s rapidly expanding digital economy.
