Kenya has raised fresh concerns over the growing influence of harmful anonymity in cyberspace, warning that concealed online identities are becoming a key driver of sophisticated crime networks across Africa.

Interior PS Raymond Omollo, said anonymity is now fueling an underground digital economy where criminal enterprises thrive beyond the reach of law enforcement.

Speaking at the opening of the Third African Forum on Cybercrime and Electronic Evidence in Nairobi, Omollo said anonymity has created vast, unregulated spaces where everything from stolen personal data to child exploitation material and advanced hacking tools is openly traded.

“We must confront the growing challenge of anonymity within cyberspace. Across Africa, anonymity continues to impede investigations, frustrate accountability, and complicate the presentation of digital material before the courts,” he said.

Omollo noted that the consequences are already visible, citing the findings by Interpol on cybercrime operations.

“Interpol recently uncovered a cybercrime operation in Kenya that siphoned KES 1.1 billion through banking fraud between September and October 2024,” said Omollo.

It also cracked an online credit-card fraud scheme linked to losses of USD 8.6 million.

Globally, Omollo said, the scale is larger,” by 2021, the ten most harmful child sexual abuse material sites on the dark web had more than three million registered accounts.”

According to PS Omollo, harmful anonymity is no longer limited to digital crime.

He notes that it is enabling recruitment into extremist networks, money laundering syndicates, human trafficking rings, smuggling networks and online markets for weapons, counterfeit pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs.

“It shields perpetrators, fuels organised crime, and exposes our society to complex threats that cross borders,” he said.

To counter this, Kenya is pushing for rights-respecting digital identity systems that protect legitimate users while enabling lawful tracing of malicious actors.

Omollo said such systems, if properly designed, can preserve user safety without compromising civil liberties.

He also underscored the need for deeper technical capacity among African investigators, citing persistent shortcomings in forensic tools, evidence handling and cross-border cooperation.

“Chain-of-custody gaps, inconsistent evidence preservation standards and limited expertise, continue to hinder successful prosecution,” he said.

Supreme Court Judge Justice Smokin Wanjala echoed the concerns, warning that the complexity of electronic evidence requires judges, prosecutors and investigators to move in step with evolving cybercrime methods.

“Unless judges are properly equipped, they are unlikely to render justice in the manner expected. Our training is not done in silos. We train together to ensure seamless investigation, prosecution and adjudication,” he said.

Kenya is strengthening international cooperation through frameworks such as the Budapest Convention, and has signed new pacts with European and global partners to enhance access to timely electronic evidence.

Council of Europe’s Head of Operations at the Cybercrime Programme Office, Virgil Spiridon, praised Kenya’s leaderships commitment in combating cybercrime.

“This forum is organised in Kenya because of the commitment, the experience and the leading role Kenya plays in fighting cybercrime,” he said.