Kenya targets to exchange information on cybercrime and child pornography with 76 countries including the US, UK, Israel and Germany amid escalated global crackdown on illegal access to computer systems, unlawful interception and interference with data and explicit content involving minors.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi said Kenya would accede to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime—the only binding international treaty on cybercrime—which enables co-operation on cross-border investigations and prosecutions by providing a consistent framework for defining computer crimes.
“Cybercrime and cyber-attacks continue to evolve at unprecedented scale, volume and speed. The possibility of large-scale cyber-attacks is real. Such attacks may occur simultaneously across States and continents, hence the need for international cooperation,” he said in a note to Parliament, urging it to endorse the plans.
The Cabinet approved Kenya’s accession to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime on February 12, 2026. The Budapest Convention currently has 76 members and has been force since 2004.
The network is expected to help Kenyan investigators obtain electronic evidence held in other jurisdictions and pursue transnational cybercrime, including through mutual legal assistance and extradition arrangements.
Kenya would, however, be required to protect human rights, including citizens’ right to privacy and fair trial, as part of the obligations imposed by the treaty.
The country is grappling with rising cyber threats amid widespread internet penetration and the adoption of digital banking.
“The accession to the Budapest Convention will enhance cooperation with other countries… [which] is critical for accessing electronic evidence stored in other jurisdictions and investigating transnational cybercrime effectively,” Mr Mudavadi said.
“Kenya stands to benefit… [through] exchange of information and experiences from other State Parties in dealing with new and emerging trends in cybercrimes, hence enabling the development of appropriate strategies to deal with such crimes.”
Criminals are exploiting financial systems and telecommunications infrastructure to defraud users and businesses. For instance, Kenyans lost $3.8 million (Sh491.7 million) and cryptocurrency after cybercriminals hijacked victims’ mobile phone numbers in SIM-swap fraud in 2025, according to the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol).
Interpol said incidents of scammers tricking mobile network providers into moving phone numbers to new SIM cards they control rose by 327 percent in Kenya in 2025.
More than 123,000 fraudulent SIM cards were issued, enabling criminals to hijack victims’ phone numbers and steal the cash from mobile money wallets.
In 2024, Central Bank of Kenya data estimates that mobile banking was the hardest hit by cyber fraud, with criminals siphoning off Sh810.68 million, a 344 percent rise from Sh182.41 million in 2023.
The Budapest Convention requires parties to adopt domestic laws criminalising cyber and data-related offences and copyright infringement.
Kenya already has the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act and Data Protection Act, and accession will not require constitutional amendments.
Under the treaty, Nairobi would be required to maintain mechanisms for international cooperation, including mutual legal assistance, extradition and a full-time point of contact for urgent requests.
Mr Mudavadi said that Kenya would invoke certain reservations on the Budapest Convention to safeguard national interests and citizen rights.
“In this regard, Kenya intends to enter the following reservation: -Pursuant to Article 42 of the Budapest Convention, the Republic of Kenya puts a reservation on Article 22(2) of the Budapest Convention on the extension of extra-territorial jurisdiction over Kenyan citizens,” he said.
“The implementation of Article22(2) shall be through the Kenyan mutual assistance and extradition framework”
The CS said that Kenya would seek a declaration to support the protection of citizens’ right to privacy.
“The purpose of this declaration is to ensure prudent use of resources, avoid overburdening law enforcement officers and protect the right to privacy,” he said.
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