Day: July 26, 2023

Turkana Governor Mr. Jeremiah Lomorukai today chaired a meeting between Turkana leaders and heads of the county security team led by the County Commissioner Mr. Jacob Ouma to discuss the establishment of the Turkana County Policing Authority. The County Policing Authority is established under Section 41 of the National Police Service Act to coordinate security functions at the county level. In the meeting held at the Ateker Hotel in Lodwar, the Governor announced that the county will begin the process to recruit six ‘non-state’ members of the Authority, as per Section 41 of the National Police Service Act (2011). The Authority is chaired by the Governor and includes members of the county government, security bodies, and citizens. Other members of the Authority include a representative of the National Intelligence Service, county representatives appointed by the Inspector-General, two elected members nominated by the County Assembly, the chairperson of the County Security Committee, and at least six other members appointed by the Governor. The formation of the Authority across the country has been delayed since the passage of the law until early this year, when President Dr. William Ruto directed Interior Cabinet Secretary Prof. Kithure Kindiki to fully operationalize the body. Lomorukai stated that the Authority will not usurp the powers of the police service, but support security organs in their functions. ‘The Authority is not meant to kill the police service but to supplement its efforts and strengthen security functions in the county. This is an important organ, and we will expedite its formulation,’ he said. Senator James Lomenen echoed the importance of the Authority in improving response to security incidents. He promised to offer the Authority the political goodwill necessary for its success. The inaugural meeting resolved to fast-track the implementation of the Authority by requesting the nominating entities to provide the names of their respective appointees. The County Public Service Board will also be required to expedite the recruitment of non-state actors to be appointed by the Governor with the approval of the Assembly. The leaders discussed funding modalities for the Authority, with members present emphasising the need to expand the funding sources to ensure the sustainability of its programmes. MCAs who attended the meeting included Leader of Majority Stephen Edukon, Leader of Minority Samuel Lomodo, Majority Whip Samal Etubon, and Minority Whip Vincent Ekipor. County Attorney Erastus Ethekon took the leaders and officers through sections 41 to 44 of the National Police Service Act, which provide for the establishment of the County Policing Authority in each county. He also highlighted the guidelines for the competitive recruitment, vetting, and appointment of non-state members of the authority. Other senior county staff present included County Secretary Peter Eripete, Chief Officer for the Office of the Governor Paul Lodunga, and TCPSB Administrator Simon Ipoo.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The government plans to form cooperative societies in every Ward where farmers will be grouped together to benefit from the collective support of mechanisation. State Department for Crop Development Principal Secretary (PS) Kello Harsama said that the mechanisation percentage in Kenya is only at 30 per cent, adding that in the next five to 10 years the government plans to increase the percentage of mechanisation of land in Kenya to over 50 per cent. ‘As a government, we have started the process of acquiring machines to transform the agriculture sector. Through this model, we will be able to provide tractors, harvesters, and planters, among other mechanical equipment, which the cooperatives will manage on behalf of the farmers,’ said Harsama. Speaking on Tuesday during the media launch of the African Conference on Agricultural Technologies (ACAT), the PS explained that the plans are at an advanced stage and they have started designing cooperative programmes for each Ward with a view to ensuring that farmers share the mechanised equipment, access subsidised fertiliser, certified seeds, and pesticides, among others, under farm inputs. ‘Agriculture remains a key sector and is one of the five pillars in the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA). The strong emphasis by the government on economic transformation provides an enormous opportunity to unleash the potential of agriculture value chains for social and economic development in Kenya,’ said the PS. Harsama said that under the BETA plan, two million poor farmers will be transformed into surplus producers through access to affordable inputs, intensive agricultural extension support, and linkages to markets. ‘The productivity of key value chains will be enhanced to strengthen food and nutrition security, reduce basic food imports, and grow exports,’ he said. ‘We are pleased as a country and the Ministry to co-host the inaugural ACAT that will bring the global, regional, and local community to Nairobi. This is an important forum, and we look forward to discussing actionable solutions to the challenges facing the agricultural sector that will also drive change and foster growth,’ said the PS. He said that the conference comes at an opportune time when the African continent is struggling to feed its people and climate change is posing serious challenges to our collective prosperity. The solution to this challenge lies largely in technology and innovation. ‘The leadership of the African Union (AU) has recognised the pillar of technology in the socio-economic development of the continent. In view of this, Africa’s Science and Technology Consolidated Plan of Action on Science and Technology (CPA) was developed in 2005,’ said the PS. He explained that the CPA outlined strategies to improve the policy environment and support the building of innovation mechanisms through Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) initiatives. ‘Kenya, taking cognisance of this, developed a 10-year road map, the Agricultural Sector Transformation and Growth Strategy (ASTGS), 2019-2029. The ASTGS provides the Government’s commitment to reforming the sector and presents nine Flagships aimed at driving Kenya’s agricultural transformation and food security aspirations,’ said Harsama. The PS highlighted that to drive Kenya’s transformation over the 10-year period, the ASTGS is anchored in three key outcomes: increasing small-scale farmer incomes, increasing agricultural output and value-added, and boosting household food resilience. Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) Executive Director Dr. Canisius Kanangire said that, present in 24 countries in Africa, AATF is working with partners to address agricultural productivity challenges brought about by climate change, pest infestation, and related value chain concerns by applying varied technologies like mechanisation, improved breeding methods, and biotechnology. Kanangire said that the ACAT conference will provide a unique platform to discuss barriers to technology transfer and propose strategies for transforming existing technologies into super-next-generation technologies capable of enhancing productivity and effectively addressing challenges faced by African countries. ‘AATF has dedicated itself to promoting agricultural technology transfer that addresses farmer productivity constraints. We are working with partners across the continent to access 24 innovative and cutting-edge agricultural technologies worth over 650 million US dollars spread across 24 countries, reaching 4.8 million smallholder farmers with new interventions during the last five years,’ he said. The ACAT conference will run from October 30 to November 3, 2023, at the Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The Communication Authority of Kenya (CAK), in partnership with the Kenya Cyber Security and Forensics Association (KCSFA) and Huawei, has awarded the top finalists of the Nairobi Edition of the Cyber Security Bootcamp and Hackathon that brought together cyber security enthusiasts and ethical hackers to compete in various curated cyber security challenges in a game format. The edition involved participants from different institutions from regional and national hackathon championships, with five regional competitions including Nairobi, Nyeri, Kisumu, Eldoret, and Mombasa, and a subsequent national competition during the October Cyber Security Awareness Month (OCSAM) conference. Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja said that there is a need to think very hard about cyber security since data needs to remain secure and private, and its use must be proportionate and accountable. ‘Digital government promises to be transformative and has the potential to be disastrous,’ he said, noting that in Nairobi County, all payments are digital and not cash. He added that the digital payment has attracted some malicious players, better known as black hackers, both within organisations, like insider threats, and also in the underground channels, better known as the darknet. Sakaja highlighted that in the past, the main focus of cyberattacks has been on financial institutions like banks. However, there has been a big shift in attacks aimed at small businesses, which are the centre of economic growth and prosperity in Nairobi and Kenya in general. In a speech read on his behalf by the Chief Officer-Smart Nairobi, Tiras Wainaina Njoroge, Sakaja said that cyber security ought to be prioritised so as to protect infrastructure, services, and Kenyans’ data. ‘This is especially important because Kenya, and Nairobi in particular, is a strategic hub and therefore a battleground where competing interests have an interest in gaining an edge. The more investment and interest we attract, the bigger a target we become,’ he said. According to the governor, capacity building in cyber security is a priority, emphasising the need to build a group of Kenyan experts capable of addressing emerging threats. ‘I am so pleased by this initiative from the Communications Authority of Kenya and our generous partners abroad. I am delighted that with the young men and women here today, we have begun the task of building the wide cyber security expertise we need,’ Sakaja said. He said that it is important that the public sector be at the forefront of empowering business resilience by helping to identify, protect, detect, respond to, and recover from cyber-attacks. Sakaja noted the need for collaboration among county governments, African countries, and their international partners, which will share expertise and experience and raise a strong collective defence against cyber threats. ‘Close collaboration between bodies such as the Communication Authority and county governments will go a long way towards safeguarding and growing our digital economy,’ he said. Communication Authority of Kenya (CA) Director General and CEO Ezra Chiloba said that in 2018, cyber-attacks directed at Kenya stood at Sh7.7 million. Chiloba added that in 2023, the attacks will have skyrocketed to a high of Sh444 million, ranking Kenya among the top three most targeted countries in the region, alongside South Africa and Nigeria. In a speech read on his behalf by CA Director of Telecom, Postal and Courier, and Digital Economy Matano Ndaro, Chiloba said that hackathons provided a useful networking opportunity to stimulate ingenuity and creativity amongst people. ‘Our work does not end here. We all need to continue working together as we face these many challenges, such as Cyber extortion, identity theft, impersonation, and other forms of online abuse that are now commonplace. We should continue the dialogue among all of us so that we can learn from each other,’ he said. Chiloba remarked that the Authority believes in nurturing innovations and building capacity through such events, which attract participants from the various universities and colleges. ‘I am informed that the online call for participants for the Hackathon and Bootcamp attracted 6,000 University and College students from Nairobi County. Out of the 6,000, 31 were shortlisted to participate in the Bootcamp, while 80 were shortlisted to participate in the hackathon, and who are in this room this afternoon,’ Chiloba said. At the same time, Kenya Cyber Security and Forensic Association (KCSFA) Vice Chairman Fredrick Wahome said that the reason for the formation of the Association was to identify the number of cybercrimes in the country. The Association has a working membership of 15 people who converge and educate people on cyber security. ‘We need to reach out to young people and equip them with cyber security skills because, without the skills, they tend to be criminals,’ he said. Huawei Southern Africa Senior Director Adam Lane said that 3,000 people in Nairobi registered for the bootcamp. He announced his visit to the University of Nairobi, where he had a discussion with the students on how Technology affects trust, which is very critical. ‘The best way to keep trust is to understand the technology and the cyber security and develop software’s standards, ‘Lane said, and urged students to pay attention to global standards and ensure that they have picked a great field in their career.

Source: Kenya News Agency