The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has taken a proactive step towards bolstering cybersecurity by empowering young cybersecurity experts nationwide.
This initiative comes in tandem with the government’s digitalization efforts, which aim to provide citizens with online access to governmental services.
During the closing ceremony of the Boot Camp and Hackathon series in Eldoret, CA Director General Ezra Chiloba highlighted the program’s alignment with the global cyber awareness month in October.
The one-week training aimed to equip young talents with vital cybersecurity skills, emphasizing the importance of their role in safeguarding digital systems.
Chiloba emphasized the program’s significance as the world increasingly embraces digitalization. He stressed the need for resilient and secure systems to ensure seamless business operations across sectors during the government’s digital transition.
With the objective of offering a comprehensive experience to users accessing digital services, he underscored the importance of capacity building as a starting point.
Responding to a call for applications, the Authority received 6,000 submissions from students eager to participate. To foster cross-country exposure, the program was regionalized into five areas, including Nairobi, Kisumu, Eldoret, and Mombasa.
Chiloba expressed the intention to evaluate the projects created by these young cybersecurity experts through competition, anticipating that the final awards ceremony in Naivasha on October 16th will showcase outstanding cybersecurity solutions.
Chiloba’s perspective on capacity building extended beyond skills acquisition to encompass the cultivation of a cybersecurity mindset and the establishment of robust support systems for digital infrastructures.
He encouraged county governments to actively engage in the digital space, integrating cybersecurity into their digitalization agendas.
The CA Director General called upon various sectors, particularly within the government, to incorporate cybersecurity professionals into digital projects to ensure ongoing security. Acknowledging Kenya’s vulnerability to cyber threats, he revealed staggering statistics indicating that the country experienced 440 million cyberattacks in the first half of the year.
In response, Chiloba highlighted the National Computer Incident Response Team, an interagency collaboration aimed at monitoring cyberspace, identifying risks, and issuing advisories to stakeholders. He cited the successful cooperation during the E-citizen platform incident as an example of coordinated efforts in the face of challenges.
Chiloba advocated for enhanced collaboration among cybersecurity stakeholders and the establishment of progressive policy frameworks and sufficient resources to fortify the digital society.
The event featured key figures such as Etiko Omungu, Regional Manager of CA Western Regional Office, Fredrick Wahome from the Kenya Cyber Security and Forensics Association (KCSFA), Dr. Vincent Ngundi, Acting Director of Cybersecurity at CA, and Adam Lane from Huawei, among others.
