The National Computer and Cybercrimes Coordination Committee (NC4) on Tuesday, September 12 2023 embarked on a public participation exercise on the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act (CMCA) Regulations.

Interior Ministry says the exercise intents to incorporate extensive input from all stakeholders, key among them wananchi, in creating a safe and trusted cyberspace for the people of Kenya.

The public participation engagements will run until September 22, 2023 and are being conducted through physical and virtual meetings in 8 regions including the Coast, Nyanza, Central, Western, Rift Valley, Eastern, North Eastern and Nairobi.

NC4 will also hold sectoral meetings with industry stakeholders of various sectors likely to be impacted by the Regulations including: ICT & Telecommunications, Energy, Transport, Manufacturing, Industry, Banking, Insurance, Finance, Electoral, Judicial, Health, Education, Food, Water, Land, Defence, Security & Public Safety.

The sectoral meetings will likewise include; Professional bodies and associations, Local and international Cybersecurity/ICT practitioners and Representatives from interest groups (Women, Youth and PWDs).

Submission of comments, views, opinions and suggestions can be delivered or sent via registered courier/post to the Ministry of Interior and National Administration physical/postal address within working hours, or sent to the email address ([email protected]).

Members of the public are also encouraged to attend the physical public engagement meetings that will be conducted across the country as per the schedule published on local dailies and on the Ministry’s official digital platforms.

“The Fourth Estate (Media) is similarly invited and welcome to cover the proceedings of the public meetings towards making all citizens aware of the CMCA Regulations. Cybersecurity is a collective responsibility and the Government is up to the task of ensuring a secure and resilient cyber environment in the country,” PS Raymond Omollo says.

Cybercrime regulations

NC4 recently concluded the development of the draft Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes (Critical Information Infrastructure and Cybercrime Management) Regulations, 2023.

The regulations are intended to provide a framework to monitor, detect and respond to cybersecurity threats within Kenya’s cyberspace and ensure the protection of our Critical Information Infrastructure.

Key aspects the CMCA Regulations address include:

1. Protection measures for critical information infrastructure supporting critical economic sectors including telecoms, banking, transport and energy sectors.

2. Cybersecurity operations management using cybersecurity operations centres.

3. Cybercrimes management and how to deal with issues of scams, identity theft, hacking and internet fraud.

4. Cybercrime capacity and capability building for public, businesses, government institutions, and private entities to enhance their cybersecurity preparedness and prioritize cybersecurity.

The regulations also provide for recovery plans in the event of a disaster, breach or loss of national critical information infrastructure or any part of it.

NC4 has correspondingly prepared and gazetted the Regulatory Impact Statement (RIA) pursuant to sections 6 and 7 of the Statutory Instruments Act (No. 23 of 2013) with an evaluation of the costs and benefits of the regulations.

As a constitutional prerequisite, the Ministry of Interior and National Administration published a public participation and consultations notice inviting institutions, organizations and individuals to review and submit their comments on the draft regulations.