LIST: Gov’t e-Services, Mobile Apps, Bank systems down as massive network outage strikes

Kenyans and businesses countrywide were for the better part of Thursday affected following a technical glitch that rendered most critical online services inaccessible.

From banks to mobile users, customers have complained of delays and inconveniences that crippled key transactions in their daily operations.

Some of the top companies affected have since issued apologies to their clients regarding the system disturbances while reassuring them of addressing the concerns within the shortest possible time.

Meanwhile, below is a list of affected systems and services:

 eCitizen platform

The government’s online platform that gives access to most services such as Immigration, NTSA and DCI has been unavailable since Thursday morning.

ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo confirmed the breakdown which he said had been occasioned after a cyber attack which occurred within the week.

The hitch affected a myriad of government services, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs advising all Kenya-bound passengers to collect VISAs upon their arrival in the country owing to difficulties in processing the Passport endorsements on the e-Citizen platform.

CS Owalo has however issued a separate statement allaying fears that government platforms, among them the e-Citizen portal, were hacked this week and sensitive information accessed by cyber criminals.

He now says hackers attempted to weigh down the e-Citizen portal by making unusual requests, but the security systems in place thwarted the attempts.

Kenya Power revealed on Thursday that its online services were unavailable, thereby affecting the purchase of tokens through Safaricom’s M-Pesa as well as the USSD code.

This, the company explained, has been a result of a technical hitch on the part of its service provider.

Telecommunication giant Safaricom has also faced a system failure which has affected most of its network dependants’ operations.

Its mobile apps that give access to a variety of financial services have been inaccessible for the most part, with users complaining of inconveniences.

Safaricom’s M-Shwari services as well as KCB M-Pesa, which are part of the mobile banking transfers offered by the network provider, have also experienced a considerable downtime.

Most banks which are linked to Safaricom’s M-Pesa service have also reported system failures and urged their customers to consider alternatives such as ATM withdrawals.

Mobile Banking Applications

A horde of local banks have also reported system failures in their mobile banking applications, thereby living users that rely on the said platforms for their transactions stranded.

The banks have now been forced to advise their customers to resort to USSD codes, which have also been a tricky affair.

Among the financial institutions affected by this include Equity Bank, KCB Bank, DTB Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Stanbic Bank among others.

Kenya Railways has joined a number of other State corporations in announcing what it terms as a system glitch.

The company, in a public statement released on Thursday evening, said ticketing services have since been affected by the said hitch.

“We are experiencing a system hitch affecting purchase of tickets by customers. This is due to an outage on our service provider's network,” Kenya Railways Managing Director said in the statement.