Interior ministry to create hub for cyber threat reporting

Interior PS Raymond Omollo. [Standard, File]

Interior Ministry will establish a centralized hub for reporting cyber threats, Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo said on Thursday, January 16.

Omollo, speaking after meeting with telecommunications operators and social media organisations, noted the need for stronger collaboration to tackle misuse in the digital space.

 He explained the hub would protect users from cyber threats, as part of efforts to ensure a secure and responsible digital environment.

The ministry also plans to explore a national framework for content moderation and filtering to guarantee responsible access to digital content, he said.

The push follows growing concerns about social media misuse and its impact on Kenya’s youth.

Omollo called for stronger measures to monitor and address violent, hateful, and unbalanced content.

“We must define the responsibilities of stakeholders, including telcos and content platforms, for a coordinated approach,” Omollo said.

He called for concerted efforts to address criminal activities online urging telcos to reassess content access models, including user identification.

The ministry is also working on new regulations, including the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime (Critical Information Infrastructure and Cybercrime Management) regulations, 2024, which operationalises the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act.

At the same time, the government continues to leverage technology to enhance service delivery through initiatives such as the eCitizen platform, Omollo noted has onboarded more than 20,000 services.