City’s super-rich ‘geek’ trashes Sh12bn anti-terrorism deal

     Sir Neo Roger Branson at his home    Photo: Facebook\Neo Roger Branson

The government recently announced a Sh12.3 billion deal with giant telecoms company Safaricom for establishment of a security surveillance and communication system involving video surveillance (CCTV), digital radios, video conferencing system, central command for the communication system and a mapping system to thwart terrorism.

But a self-proclaimed hacker and ‘IT security genius’ now  claims Kenya is getting a raw deal, saying what government is acquiring from the cellular data network firm is “old technology that should not be relied on by countries under terror threat”.

This, however, is a view that Peter Wanyonyi, an IT consultant in the telecoms sector, whose views The Nairobian independently sought, dismisses as humbug.

Sir Neo Roger Branson, who claims to be the founder of ‘Ultimate Global Technology Authorité’ and employee of the ‘G8+ endorsed Global Intelligence, Surveillance and Tactical (GIST)’, also wonders why a government would go to a private telecoms firm to help fix a security problem that should be the preserve of the National Intelligence Service (NIS).

(An internet search by The Nairobian does not reveal much about his two companies apart from a website and blogs written by Sir Neo).

“Terrorists have been known to influence and compromise even some staff of the world’s leading intelligence firms in the West.

So what would stop Al Shabaab, Al Qaeda or any other terrorist group from infiltrating the staff of mobile telephony operators?

What if the terrorists create a jamming field on the mobile telephony networks? A terrorist only needs a minute to carry out an attack so, they need a tech that would be ahead of them at all times.

“If the said service provider’s system goes down for a minute, the damage that the extremists would do is beyond imagination. At Westgate the terrorists used SIM cards to co-ordinate their activities so the idea of all SIM card registration is out of the equation because anyone can forge an ID and use it to register a SIM card,” poses Neo.

Asked whether he is questioning Safaricom’s ability out of sour grapes because he did not get the tender, Neo states that being partially Kenyan, he would love to help his country.

“What is Sh15 billion to terrorists who are willing to die? These are people who have set out their goals and achievements and will stop at nothing unless we stop them,” he says.

Sir Neo further claims that the Thermal Security Scanning Using Drones, Glider and Satellite Technology that countries like Spain, United Kingdom (UK), United States of America (USA), Germany, Australia and China are using to help thwart terrorism threats are cheaper and would cost the Kenya Government only Sh7 billion (60 million Euros) from United States National Security Agency.

“The GIST technology can be provided to governments and major corporations thus eliminating loopholes that the terrorism world tends to thrive in exploiting. When the GIST assessed the ineffectiveness of manual security scanning in various check points like; airports, banking institutions, shopping malls, hotels and resorts in efforts to combat terror, we found out that using manual body scanning techniques and casually checking vehicles before allowing passage was ineffective,” he claims.

Sir Neo also questions whether Safaricom has counter measures in the event of low network and how their technology would work in rural areas.

“In the event of bad weather, what are their counter measures? The mobile phone operator says that they will depend on CCTV Cameras and air waves.

What happens during a storm? To mount CCTVs in the whole country and position them in a way that they cannot be affected by the sun’s rays or heavy downpour with the cables not being affected by flooding is almost impossible. Why not counter that with drones, gliders, thermal satellites and stratospheres?” poses Sir Neo

But Peter Wanyonyi, a Riyadh-based IT & Telecoms Consultant, says Neo should not be taken seriously. “The technology he recommends is out of place, and in all cases it doesn’t have the uses he purports it to have. He recommends use of ‘thermal security scanning using drones and gliders’, apparently to thwart terrorists. This is bulls**t.

Thermal scanning is used on people directly, and from a short distance away because it essentially checks for body heat. Gliders fly thousands of feet in the air. How will that help thwart a terrorist inside an airport building?"

“I also have serious reservations about his CV. His alleged companies do not exist. The only information about him is on two blogs, which he himself writes. The alleged company he ‘founded’, “Ultimate Global Technology Authorité”, doesn’t exist. He says he is employed by group called “Global Intelligence, Surveillance and Tactical. There is no such group in IT security on Earth.

“When a man claims to be one of only seven “endorsed cryptograhers in the world,” yet China alone has about 100,000 cryptographers; that he cracked a UK defence system at the age of 8 in 25 seconds, why would you take him seriously?

This ‘expert’ does not seem to understand IT, let alone IT Security. He appears to be a glory-hunter seeking to embarrass the government and Safaricom,” says Wanyonyi.

But American Security expert Andrew Franklin, who is Managing Director of Franklin Management Consultants Limited states that what should concern Kenyans more is not the amount of money to be used, but the stakes involved.

“We are at war and we have been at war since we invaded Somalia, but it is appalling that we have no National Communication. What we have is a shame in the world of technology. Having CCTV Cameras and two cops hanging around every gate will not help us stop terrorism at all.

We must stop them at the planning stage not to wait for them to come here. We must deploy the technology that will help us get them in Somalia and in their local sleeper cells in various parts of the country,” says Franklin.

Whereas Franklin doesn’t oppose the deal being given to mobile telecoms company, the ex-US marine raises questions about the country’s ability to implement the security surveillance system and make it effective.

“How are we going to implement it? Who will help us handle the receivers and make them secure from hacking, which is almost impossible when the NIS Bill has not been implemented to the letter? The illegal manner in which security matters are handled in this country will shock you.

Look at Westgate. The elite Recce Squad could have easily resolved the situation within hours, but the KDF were deployed there illegally. I thought we needed Parliamentary approval to use the military locally, don’t we?” poses Franklin.

While poking holes at the country’s ineffective security, Franklin warns, “If we started looking at our security system seriously, I could show you ten to 15 potential Westgate like attack targets every day. It is so easy for a local terrorist to develop target lists.”

When The Nairobian called spy Chief Michael Gichangi, the Army General declined to comment and instead hung up after being briefed on the basis of our call.

 In an earlier interview with The Standard on whether the tendering for the original installation and consequent maintenance of the surveillance system had the blessings of the NIS, State House spokesperson Manoah Esipisu also declined to comment, saying, “Government does not discuss in public the views of various security agencies on every subject, and will certainly not do so on the matter of police communications equipment.”

Safaricom is expected to build 60 LTE base stations in Nairobi, 20 in Mombasa and install 1,800 CCTV damage-proof, high definition and ultra-high definition cameras across the two cities that have recently become the targets of terrorist attacks.

The system will initially handle communication from 7,600 security agents at any given time, a capacity that will gradually expand to 50,000.