Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs on Thursday, July 27 allayed fear over likely disruption of international travel and visa application after hackers attempted to infiltrate the eCitizen platform.
In a press statement, the Ministry noted that they were experiencing technical challenges, and that all visas will be issued upon arrival in Kenya
“To all Diplomatic Missions and International Organizations in Kenya and has the honor to inform that there is currently a challenge in the Government e-citizen platform, which is impacting processing of e-visa.
Therefore, travelers will be issued visa upon arrival at all entry points to Kenya. The Government also wishes to advise all airlines to on-board travelers destined to Kenya,” the press statement read.
Furthermore, MFA said that it avails itself of this opportunity to renew all Diplomatic Missions and International Organizations in Kenya the assurances of its highest consideration.
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eCitizen Hacked
This emerged after the Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo on Thursday, July 27 confirmed that anonymous individuals hacked the eCitizen platform.
Speaking during a morning show at Spice FM, the CS said the attempt to access the system was not successful.
While giving Kenyans assurance of their data safety and allaying any fears, CS Owalo noted that during the attempt, no data was lost.
“The hackers tried jamming the system by making more than ordinary requests into the system thus slowing down the system, but this was immediately addressed,” said CS Owalo.
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Kenya Goes Digital with eCitizen
On 30 June 2023, President William Samoei Ruto announced that 5,000 government services were now online, making it easy for Kenyans to access services remotely.
The president said that digitization will enhance efficiency and inclusivity in service delivering.
Furthermore, the Head of State noted that the system will help eliminate inefficiency, corruption, wastage, and discrimination.
Additionally, he noted that previously marginalized communities will no longer be excluded from government services.
