Senior security officials and digital experts have gathered in Naivasha to fine-tune the country’s cyberspace security plan in order to safeguard it from local and global dangers.
The plan, according to Interior Cabinet Secretary, Fred Matiangi, is crucial in coordinating intelligence-based defense against threats and vulnerabilities to the country’s ICT systems and infrastructure.
Matiangi, while giving a speech in Naivasha at the commencement of a three-day workshop for the National Computer and Cybercrimes Coordination Committee, said the new strategy will help deal with emerging global cybercrimes that pose serious investigative and prosecution challenges to security teams due to their evolving nature and the involvement of high-level political and economic interests, giving a speech in Naivasha at the commencement of a three-day workshop for the National Computer and Cybercrimes Coordination Committee.
He said, “We are dealing with all manner of cases of people operating either from our country or other countries, maligning or interfering with political systems. This strategy couldn’t have come at the right time, because it will enable us to start building capacities in our institutions to help police the cyberspace”.
He further stated that the strategy will serve as a foundation for collaboration between the government and the private sector to address common threats. “Cybersecurity is no longer going to be an issue for us in the security sector to deal with, or for institutions in the executive branch of government. We must build a very wide reach because no one is going to be left unaffected. This strategy puts us ahead as we ought to be”, he said.
The CS singled out the country’s use of technology and urged for a coordinated response to cyber vigilantism, which has been common throughout the election season.
“The big debate now is how we are going to behave with each other. The era of fake news and unprecedented abuse of social media is here. Those who would like to exercise their freedoms in expression, in association, in supporting their preferred candidates and individuals will do so while taking into consideration the welfare of the whole of society.”
Matiang’i defended the Huduma Namba project, expressing his disappointment that it has been delayed due to legal proceedings. He said, “We are better off building systems that collate and coordinate this data and information and develop a single source of truth than scattered data sets across the board. The drive for Huduma Namba is important and very crucial and is one way towards moving us to a much more protective, clearer and reliable basis of operation.”
The Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act of 2018, which took effect on May 30, 2018, offers a foundation for governmental policies aimed at ensuring the security and safety of information systems. Unauthorized access or interference with computer systems, cyber espionage, cyber harassment, cybersquatting, false data publication, identity theft and impersonation, child pornography, phishing, computer fraud, computer forgery, unauthorized disclosure of passcodes, fraudulent use of electronic data, and cyber terrorism are all covered by the Act.