The Head of Public Service and Chief of Staff, Felix Koskei, has called on ICT experts to play a leading role in shaping Kenya’s digital transformation agenda by developing robust policies, legal frameworks, and inclusive strategies to ensure effective and ethical use of technology and online systems.
Speaking during the Kenya Chapter of the Information Systems, Audit and Control Association (ISACA)’s Annual Conference, Koskei emphasised the critical need for structured approaches to digital governance, underscoring the importance of integrating both certified professionals and self-taught technologists into the formal digital ecosystem.
The theme of the conference is “Anticipating and Leveraging Disruptive Innovations.”
“We must not leave anyone behind. Those who possess skills but lack certification should be brought into the fold and supported to gain formal recognition. This will help us build a strong and inclusive digital workforce,” he said.
Koskei reiterated the government’s commitment to accelerating digital transformation as a cornerstone of service delivery.
He revealed that more than 22,000 government services have already been digitized, a milestone aimed at enhancing efficiency, transparency, and accessibility for all citizens.
“Technology continues to play a pivotal role in reducing corruption and improving accountability in public service delivery. That is why the government is prioritizing investments in this space,” he added.
Looking ahead, the Head of Public Service outlined an ambitious connectivity strategy that aims to extend fiber optic infrastructure of 100,000 kilometers across the country in the next three years. This expansion will ensure that all county headquarters, schools, and government institutions have access to high-speed internet, bringing services closer to the people.
Additionally, Koskei announced that the government has allocated substantial funding to establish Digital Hubs and ICT training programs in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions. The initiative targets the digital upskilling of 20 million Kenyans, equipping them with the necessary skills to access and utilize e-government services with ease.
“Our vision is to create a digitally empowered citizenry that can seamlessly interact with government systems and services online,” he concluded.
ISACA President, Mercy Omolo emphasised the organisation’s active role in legislative and advocacy efforts, particularly in collaboration with the government. She noted that ISACA contributes its technical expertise to various task forces involved in drafting and reviewing legislation and policy frameworks related to emerging technologies.
This engagement ensures that new laws are both practical and aligned with global best practices in the digital space.
She noted that ISACA is a professional association of technology professionals, drawn from different spheres of technology such as cybersecurity, data privacy, IT governance, IT risk management, and IT assurance. The association brings together members from both public and private sectors.
“Like right now, we have emerging technologies that are coming up, like the AI strategy that has been launched by the government, we have the cybersecurity strategy as well, which is in the draft phase. The Data Protection Act is undergoing some changes, and we sit in some of these task forces to be able to contribute our expertise.” Omolo noted.
She added that they have over 2,000 members in Kenya, and are a global association affiliated with ISACA global. They also upskill members and accredit members, giving them certifications in the relevant disciplines.
“We should be able to have people who are skilled in artificial intelligence, people who are skilled in cybersecurity, machine learning, and quantum computing. So ISACA as a body does provide training and accreditation in partnership with other industry associations,” she added.
She highlighted that right now, they are focusing on artificial intelligence, cloud computing skills, and cloud security skills, as well as block chain fundamentals and skills that you can build on.
As an industry body, she said that they are helping to develop such courses for university students and TVETs as they are partnering with an organisation called Scratch and Script in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.
By Fatma Said
