The government is training its staff on cyber security governance which is geared towards safeguarding the country’s digital landscape in line with the Computer and Cybercrime law.
State Department for Internal Security and National Administration Principal Secretary (PS) Dr. Raymond Omollo said that the National Computer and Cybercrime Coordination Committee (NC4) under the Ministry of Interior and National administration is coordinating the training in partnership with Huawei.
“The committee is a multi-agency outfit established by the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, which coordinates all cybersecurity matters, including timely detection, prevention, response, investigation and prosecution of cybercrimes,” explained the PS.
Dr. Omollo explained that more than 200 officers have benefited from the training adding that the training on information and cloud technologies was timely, as it equipped the trainees with knowledge and skills necessary to drive the government’s digitalization and e-services agenda.
Speaking while officially closing a Cloud Computing Security training for government officers in collaboration with Huawei, Kenya, Dr Omollo said: “The adoption of cloud technology is no longer an option but a necessity for governments, businesses and organizations globally.”
He added: “However, with these advancements come heightened risks to data security, privacy, and integrity. Cyber-attacks are becoming more sophisticated, and the need for robust cloud security measures have never been more critical.”
The PS said the government was keen to mitigate against cyber risks that come with technological advancement, including attacks that posed danger to critical infrastructure and sensitive data.
Dr Omollo said any lapse in cyber security could cause disruptions in delivery of essential online services to wananchi and called for concerted efforts among state agencies in ensuring cyber stability.
The digital economy is a key pillar of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, he said, noting that the government had automated more than 19,000 services on the e-Citizen platform.
Dr Omollo said NC4 was well equipped to deal with any cyber risks that could undermine the country’s drive for enhanced efficiency and service delivery.
He explained that all Government departments and agencies were expected to implement strong cybersecurity measures to protect data, secure communication networks, and defend sensitive information against cyber threats.
“Cybersecurity is a critical component of national security and it is important for economic growth, and driving innovation in the public and private sectors,” said the PS.
“To the graduands, you are now part of a community of government experts empowered to take charge in building secure and resilient digital environments.” He, however, urged them to continue updating their skills as technology was dynamic,” he said.
Huawei-Kenya Deputy CEO for Public Affairs, Mr. Steven Zhang, said that the collaboration, aimed at improving Kenya’s cloud computing security, builds on previous trainings on cybersecurity governance.
Mr. Zhang said that the initiative is part of a long-term collaboration on, among other areas, training of government officers to improve their knowledge and skills as well as enhance implementation of international cybersecurity standards.
“The training also aligned with Kenya’s National Cybersecurity Strategy,” said Mr. Zhang.
Mr Zhang thanked the government of Kenya for considering Huawei as a trusted partner in the Digital Economy and Cyber Space.
“Our company will always provide secure, trustworthy and high-quality products whilst improving the capabilities of our people and our partners, because cybersecurity is always evolving and we want to help build capacity in Kenya,” said Mr. Zhang.
By Joseph Ng’ang’a
