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B2Bhint, a Moldovan business intelligence firm, has come under scrutiny following a significant data breach that exposed sensitive information of numerous Kenyans, including the families of President William Ruto and former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The leaked details suggest that First Lady Rachel Ruto has financial stakes in multiple ventures spanning microfinance, housing, hospitality, and agribusiness.
Similarly, the President’s son George Ruto is associated with investments in financial services, technology, and business consultancy.
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta is linked to charitable foundations and institutions, with claims of international business connections.
His brother Muhoho Kenyatta is said to hold significant shares or directorships in over 50 companies.
The breach reportedly involved the exploitation of vulnerabilities in Kenya's Business Registration Service (BRS), which manages the registration of companies and their associated data.
The breach has raised alarms as it compromised the personal information of shareholders from approximately two million registered companies.
This includes residential addresses, emails, and phone numbers. Reports indicate that the data was made available for sale on B2Bhint's platform, which aggregates business registration records globally.
B2Bhint's Response
In response to the allegations, B2Bhint claimed that the data accessed was not intended for public release and suggested that it was part of a broader data breach.
The firm stated on social media that they were awaiting a response from BRS to help resolve the situation.
They have since taken steps to delete the leaked data from their site as investigations continue.
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Government and Regulatory Actions
Following the breach, Kenya's Ministry of Information, Communication, and Digital Economy has mobilised a multi-agency team to investigate the incident.
Kenneth Gathuma, Director General of BRS, confirmed that cybersecurity experts are collaborating with government agencies to assess the breach's scope and impact.
Public Reaction and Concerns
The incident has sparked public outrage over the government's cybersecurity preparedness.
Critics have expressed frustration over the lack of immediate communication from authorities regarding the breach's details and implications.
Many are calling for stricter enforcement of Kenya’s 2019 Data Protection Act, which mandates organisations to notify affected parties in case of data breaches.