The National Defence University hosted an inaugural national cyber security symposium amid calls for regular reviews on laws governing the sector.
They said the space keeps changing hence the need for constant reviews of the laws for general safety.
The Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Information Communications and the Digital Economy Eliud Owalo and his defence counterpart Aden Duale graced the inaugural National Security Symposium themed Enhancing Cyber Security for National Development at the National Defence University- Kenya in Nakuru.
The symposium brought together stakeholders from the public, private, academia, and practitioners with vast professional backgrounds in cyber security.
Chief of Defence Forces Gen Francis Ogolla underscored the significance of the symposium noting that it will go a long way in providing both state and non-state actors valuable experience and knowledge to formulate key resolutions to deal with cyber threats.
He called for constant reviews of legal and regulatory frameworks governing cyberspace in dealing with a myriad of challenges bedeviling today's cyberspace.
The symposium provided an intellectual and realistic engagement on the efficacy of measures taken to secure Kenya's cyberspace in addition to, proposing new measures to address contemporary and emerging cybersecurity threats for the overall benefit of the nation.
Owalo discussed the importance of cyber security for Kenya's national development.
He noted that Kenya is increasingly becoming digitized and that cyber security is essential for protecting the country's critical infrastructure, and economic and national security.
He also highlighted the government's commitment to enhancing cyber security and called upon state and non-state actors to take steps to collectively champion measures to address vulnerabilities in the cyber domain.
"As we get increasingly enjoined into the benefits of digitalization, we must also control the long shadows that inevitably casts, foremost among them being the challenge of cyber security," he said.
Duale said the department shall endeavor to accommodate ICT reinforcement in its system and agencies.
He said they are committed to allocating substantial funding and resources to cyber security, research policy formulation, and review the correct security to incorporate cyber security and capability development.
Vice Chancellor of the National Defence University-Kenya, Maj Gen Said Farah said the current digital space has provided a multiplicity of interdependent connectivity.
He said a single disruption of one field of the infrastructure can lead to a cessation of operations in other fields thus, the need for scholarly engagements and technological innovations to deal with the threat.
