Government moves to bolster cybersecurity, tighten AI governance

Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo at a past event. [Kelly Ayodi, Standard]

The Government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening Kenya's cybersecurity systems and to developing robust governance frameworks for emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), to protect the country's fast-growing digital economy.

Speaking during the opening of the Sixth Annual Information Security Management Systems (ISMS) Conference in Naivasha, Principal Secretary for Internal Security, Raymond Omollo, said digital transformation had become a key driver of economic growth, improved public service delivery and greater government transparency. 

However, he cautioned that increased digitisation had also heightened the country's exposure to cyber threats.

At the same time, the PS added that the Government's digital transformation agenda under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda had significantly expanded access to public services through platforms such as eCitizen, which now hosts more than 24,000 government services, serves over 15 million users and processes about 500,000 transactions daily.

He noted that while digital platforms have improved efficiency, transparency and accountability, they have also widened Kenya's cyber risk landscape.

"National security is no longer confined to traditional security infrastructure. Today, it includes protecting cloud systems, digital payment platforms, telecommunications networks and critical information infrastructure that citizens depend on every day," he said.

Omollo highlighted measures already taken to strengthen the country's cybersecurity framework, including the implementation of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, the operationalisation of the National Computer and Cybercrimes Coordination Committee, and the enforcement of the Critical Information Infrastructure Protection and Cybersecurity Management Regulations, 2024.

He also welcomed Parliament's approval of the establishment of the National Cybersecurity Agency, saying the new institution would enhance national coordination, strengthen resilience and improve preparedness against evolving cyber threats.

Dr. Omollo warned that the rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence presents both opportunities and risks, including AI-generated deepfakes, misinformation, identity manipulation, online fraud and other cyber-enabled crimes that threaten public trust and national security.

He urged stakeholders to harness AI to strengthen cybersecurity while safeguarding sensitive information from misuse, adding that Kenya should invest in local innovation and skills development to become a producer and exporter of trusted cybersecurity solutions rather than relying solely on imported technologies.

The three-day conference, jointly organised by the National Computer and Cybercrimes Coordination Committee (NC4) and the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), has brought together cybersecurity experts, government agencies, regulators, academia, private sector players and development partners to discuss emerging digital security challenges.