ICT secretary Joe Mucheru at the 9th ICT Summit in Diani, Kwale County
on April 11, 2017: He says the Cyber Security Bill will help tackle
cyber crime. FILE PHOTO | WACHIRA MWANGI | NMG
Summary
- Government says hackers are increasingly targeting Kenya's digital economy.
- The Cyber Security Bill is awaiting debate and enactment by Parliament.
- Mr Mucheru said the Bill proposes stiffer penalties for those engaging in cybercrime to serve as a deterrent against hacking.
- CitiBank CEO Joyce-Ann Wainaina warns that banks and international institutions are major targets of cyber crimes.
The government has decried the increased
number of cyber crime cases in the country, saying it is a threat to
Kenya's digital economy.
Information
Communication and Technology (ICT) Secretary Joe Mucheru said hackers
are increasingly targeting sectors that are digital-savvy especially
with the rise of financial technology and internet banking.
He was however confident that the Cyber Security Bill, which is awaiting debate and enactment by parliament, will be passed.
“The
government is alive to the emerging threats, the breakneck speed at
which we are mainstreaming ICT as an enabler of business and development
must therefore be balanced with prudent risk management,” he said.
Mr
Mucheru said the Bill proposes stiffer penalties for those engaging in
cybercrime to serve as a deterrent “for anyone contemplating to
compromise systems for selfish gain.”
“Further, there is growing
concern on the subject of big data with regard to how private entities
are actively collecting and keeping citizens’ data and how this data is
used,” he said during the ICT conference in Kwale County.
Focus on prevention
CitiBank
CEO Joyce-Ann Wainaina advised financial institutions not to share
passwords and invest in detections in order to safeguard themselves from
hackers.
“It is critical that
we focus on prevention. Citi transfers about $3 trillion a day all over
the world and you can imagine the incentives it creates for criminals
or bad actors who would like to get their hands on it. There is no value
in cyber-crime unless there is a reward at the end,” she said.
Telkom
Kenya chief executive Aldo Mareuse attributed lapses in cyber security
to insiders, saying the firm had dealt with such incidents severally
before identifying the insider.
“The
difficulty we have is how to make labour laws more efficient because
sometimes after knowing the insider, we are unable to dismiss the
employee due to the rigidity of the law,” he said.
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