• Cabinet hailed security as “the foundation stone of our country’s quest to build a more prosperous, fair and just nation for all Kenyans.”
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The need to bolster the country’s security and vigilance to ward off attacks was the main agenda of the Cabinet retreat chaired by President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday.
The meeting attended by Deputy President William Ruto deliberated on the need to protect Kenyans and spur development.
During the Manyani meeting, the President received a report signalling a fresh bid to actualise the Huduma Namba project.
The State of National Security, Nationhood and Territorial Integrity report was received at the KWS Field Training school.
Sections of the report seen by the Star reveal concerted efforts to operationalise the National Integrated Identity Management System.
The plan is to create datasets to help the government make informed decisions in national resource planning.
Technological improvement and equipment upgrades are targeted in improvements to the national security architecture.
Four projects namely the nationwide airbone geophysical, geospatial, national cyber security and the national security industrialisation surveys are lined up.
The surveys are set to deliver datasets for resource mapping while the cyber project would focus on building the country’s cyber defence capability.
The government is also projecting to be self-reliant in the manufacture of security technologies and equipment.
“The projects are implemented through a multi-agency framework bringing together professional, innovative, and creative Kenyans drawn from government ministries and graduates from the job market,” the report reads in part.
President Kenyatta’s administration said this will go a long way to building local capacities, hence targeted to make the country self-reliant on matters of security.
“This framework promotes national self-reliance to achieve national projects, secure integrity of crucial information, and create dynamic approaches to cyber defence as well as spur local technological solutions for sustainability,” the report reads.
A statement from the Cabinet office stated that the report also addresses areas of national security concern and strategic national interest.
“The vigilance and interventions by our national security organs are tipped to ensure that Kenya remains a safe and secure nation,” the statement reads.
Cabinet hailed security as “the foundation stone of our country’s quest to build a more prosperous, fair and just nation for all Kenyans.”
The government’s call for urgency around national security could have followed concerns around the already-heated 2022 General Election contest.
The National Security Advisory Committee recently invoked and empowered the police to enforce rules guiding conduct of public meetings.
The team led by Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua also warned Kenyans against misuse of social media, saying it will be monitored.
There is word of the surveillance system being upgraded to penetrate encrypted communications to stem poll violence.
NCIC recently fired a warning shot that the country risked being polarised in the wake of heightening competition around President Kenyatta succession.