Eight Kenyans arrested in Rwanda for trying to hack Equity accounts

A hacking group composed of Kenyans, Rwandans and a Ugandan has been arrested in Rwanda while attempting to breach the systems of a bank.

The Rwanda Investigation Bureau on Friday said the hackers planned to steal money from clients' accounts at Equity Bank, but did not say when the hacking attempt was staged.

The bureau said the hacking group is composed of eight Kenyans, three Rwandans and one Ugandan.

Equity Bank is a regional financial services giant with presence across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Rwanda Investigation Bureau said the group of hackers had previously managed to hack into the bank's systems in Kenyan and Uganda.

Equity Bank's Chief Executive James Mwangi was early this year quoted as saying that the bank has experienced about 14,000 attempts to hack its systems.