Concept Note and Programme.
Friday, 9 December 2022, 0800 – 1400 hours
Venue: The Stanley Hotel, Nairobi.
Please register here for a ticket as the slots are limited.
Introduction
The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) in partnership with Global Partners Digital (GPD) with the support of the government of the United Kingdom are pleased to host a Roundtable meeting on “Cybersecurity Capacity-Building (CCB) Needs in Kenya” which will take place on Friday, 9 December 2022.
Background and Context
The COVID-19 pandemic induced a rapid adoption of ICTs and led to the digital transformation of several organizations in the country, across various sectors including e-commerce, e-health, e-learning, e-government and entertainment. The rushed adoption of digital systems while it addressed major challenges presented by the pandemic, also presented new cybersecurity threats to users of digital devices.
According to statistics from the Communications Authority, cyber threats recorded in the country have been on the rise since 2020. As shown in the table below, the country recorded 139.9 million cyber threats in 2020, which increased by 242.2% by the end of 2021. As of September 2022, 450 million cyber threats had been recorded by the Authority in the nine-month period since January 2022. This is almost double the total cyberthreats recorded in 2020 and 2021. More importantly, the significant increase of reported system vulnerabilities by 436% in the past year alone points to potential capacity gaps in securing information systems.
| Cyber threat | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 (Sept) |
| Malware | 124,168,113 | 181,888,153 | 127,060,393 |
| DDOS/Botnet | 4,060,899 | 92,108,268 | 68,554,541 |
| Web Application Attacks | 11,589,947 | 7,033,604 | 808,717 |
| System Vulnerabilities | 114,675 | 58,045,612 | 253,620,390 |
| Total | 139,933,634 | 339,075,637 | 450,044,041 |
These statistics point to the need for all stakeholders, including the private sector companies and groups, the technical community, academia, civil society groups and other non-governmental actors to pay keen attention to cybersecurity capacity. Responding to these growing threats means that there is a need for greater investment in cybersecurity capacity building (CCB), to ensure the implementation of rapid, proactive and strategic responses to prevent the rising incidents given the importance of digital systems to Kenya’s overall information security, critical infrastructure, democracy, digital economy, and public safety.
Kenya has enacted several policies and laws including the 2020 National ICT Policy, the Kenya National Digital Master Plan 2022-2032, the National Cybersecurity Strategy 2022-2027, the Kenya Information and Communications Act, and the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, 2018. The national policies highlight the country’s deficiencies in skilled cybersecurity personnel and point to the need to enhance and upgrade institutional capacities, build cybersecurity skills and increase cyber hygiene awareness among the public.
In 2019 KICTANet identified cybersecurity capacity building, awareness creation on cyber hygiene and the development of cybersecurity courses in learning institutions are key priorities, and again in 2022, called upon all stakeholders to develop strategies to address these gaps. In July 2022, KICTANet participated in the 10th Edition of the Africa School of Internet Governance (AFRISIG) where together with other stakeholders, developed African cybersecurity capacity-building priorities. These priorities were shared with the Open-Ended Working Group on ICTs during the July Session. We believe that this document could still form the basis of a discussion of local CCB priorities at the national level. It is for this reason that KICTANet seeks to convene stakeholders to identify relevant needs and priorities for CCB in Kenya.
Meeting Objective and Expected Outcome
The overall objectives of the roundtable are to increase local stakeholder awareness of cybersecurity capacity-building needs and to identify common priorities for Kenya in 2023. It is expected that the meeting shall result in a policy brief outlining Kenya’s cybersecurity capacity-building needs and key recommendations to various stakeholders moving forward.
Attendees
The participants will include relevant local actors drawn from the three arms of government, including key agencies and departments, private sector companies and groups, the technical community, academia, civil society groups and other non-governmental actors.
About the Organizers
The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a non-profit organisation, which acts as a multi-stakeholder platform for individuals and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT-enabled growth and development.
Global Partners Digital (GPD) is a social purpose company dedicated to fostering a digital environment underpinned by human rights and democratic values. It works by making policy spaces and processes more open, inclusive and transparent, and by facilitating strategic, informed and coordinated engagement in these processes by public interest actors.
| Draft Programme | ||
| Time | Session | Facilitator(s) |
| 0800 – 0830 | Arrival and Registration | KICTANet |
| 0830 – 0845 | Welcome and Introductions | Grace Githaiga, KICTANet |
| 0845 – 0900 | Overview of Workshop Objectives | Grace Githaiga, KICTANet |
| 0900 – 0915 | Keynote Address | Vincent Ngundi, CA (TBC) |
| Session 1: Presentation on African Cybersecurity Capacity Building Priorities
Barrack Otieno, Moderator |
||
| 0915 – 0945 | Presentation of Output Document | Experts
Victor Kapiyo |
| 0945 – 1030 | Plenary Session | Moderator, KICTANet |
| 1045 – 1100 | Health Break | |
| Session 2: Review of Kenya’s Cybersecurity Capacity Building Priorities | ||
| 1100 – 1200 |
|
Experts (TBC)
Mwende Njiraini, Moderator
|
| 1200 – 1230 | Plenary Session | |
| 1230 – 1245 | Recommendations, Next Steps and Sustainability | Victor Kapiyo |
| 1245 – 1300 | Closing Session | Ali Hussein, Chairman, KICTANet |
| 1300 – 1400 | Networking Lunch | |
| End of Event | ||