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Nairobi: Kenya temporarily shut down the presidency's website on Saturday after what local media reported was a cyberattack that included a ransom demand.
Media reports said hackers had altered the site's homepage with messages critical of President William Ruto. They had also demanded five bitcoins (around $325,000), threatening to release unspecified information unless paid.
Information Minister William Kabogo Gitau acknowledged an "incident" affecting the website but stopped short of describing it as a hack.
"Access to the Presidential website was temporarily restricted to facilitate containment, forensic analysis and restoration efforts," he said in a statement.
An AFP journalist found the site inaccessible on Saturday. Gitau said there was "no evidence" that sensitive government data had been accessed or stolen. State digital systems remained "secure and operational", he added.
The incident comes months after cyberattacks targeted several Kenyan ministers and amid a sharp rise in cybercrime across Africa.
Interpol said last year that Kenya had recorded more than 12,000 cyberattacks or attempted attacks, one of the highest totals on the continent.
