MP Demands Answers Over Alleged Ksh1.89 Billion Cybersecurity Maintenance Scandal

Saboti Member of Parliament Caleb Amisi has called on the government to provide answers over what he alleges is an unfolding Ksh1.89 billion scandal involving the maintenance of government cybersecurity systems and .go.ke domains.

Speaking during a press briefing on Tuesday, the legislator claimed that he had received information suggesting that figures relating to the cybersecurity maintenance programme could have been inflated for corrupt purposes.

Amisi linked his concerns to a cyber incident involving the State House website in July, when the official site, president.go.ke, was reportedly compromised and its content replaced with messages targeting President William Ruto.

The attackers allegedly demanded a ransom of Bitcoin worth approximately Ksh41 million.

The website was restored several hours later, with then ICT Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo assuring the public that no sensitive government data had been compromised during the incident.

According to Amisi, however, the cyber incident may have been used to create justification for what he described as an expensive government-wide domain maintenance programme.

He alleged that government institutions were being required to pay approximately Ksh4.7 million each for the registration and annual maintenance of their .go.ke domains.

“Our concern, however, is not cybersecurity. Our concern is the cost. How did we arrive at a figure of approximately Ksh4.7 million per institution, which adds up to about Ksh1.8 billion from the targeted institutions, given the economic difficulties facing the country and the serious financial challenges confronting many public institutions?” Amisi asked.

The lawmaker, who is also the leader of the People’s Renaissance Movement (PM) party, questioned why the registration and maintenance of .go.ke domains would attract such a high cost compared with ordinary .ke domains.

Amisi noted that .ke domain services generally cost about Ksh1,500 on average, depending on the provider and package, and questioned the justification for the substantially higher amount allegedly being charged to government institutions.

He called on the Head of Public Service, the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), Parliament and other relevant government agencies to disclose how the Ksh4.7 million figure was arrived at.

The MP also raised questions about the alleged distribution of the funds, claiming that while the Communications Authority of Kenya is the recipient of the fees, it allegedly retains only 15 percent, with the remainder going to a private entity.

“Who stands to benefit from these extraordinary costs? I am reliably informed that although the CA is the recipient of these fees, they are only retaining 15% while the rest is being transferred to a private entity. The question is, was this private entity chosen after a competitive bid?” he posed.

Amisi is now demanding transparency over the procurement and financial arrangements surrounding the programme, including the basis for the Ksh4.7 million charge, the institutions targeted, the identity of any private beneficiary and whether the entity was competitively procured.

The allegations, however, remain claims by the legislator and would require verification and responses from the Communications Authority of Kenya, the relevant government agencies and any private entity involved before the alleged financial irregularities can be established.

The controversy comes amid heightened scrutiny of public expenditure, with questions over the value for money attached to major government technology and cybersecurity contracts.