Agency to register internet firms in crackdown on quacks

The ICT Authority has embarked on a process of registering Internet Service Providers (ISPs) countrywide to improve the quality of their services.

The agency said only those that meet the set quality standards would be allowed to operate or do business with the Government. The rest, he said, would be de-registered.

According to the authority’s director for partnerships and innovation Eunice Kariuki, the process is meant to regulate the sector that has been invaded by masqueraders.

“The issue of fake ISPs in the country is endemic and we have come in as stakeholders in the sector to regulate them and publish their information for the general public as required in law,” said Ms Kariuki (pictured) at the opening of a three-day workshop for ICT professionals from public institutions in Naivasha on Tuesday.

“Our goal is to leverage IT governance to add value to IT investment in Government and improve service delivery by aligning IT with business strategies and Government priorities, namely the Big Four,” she said.

Ms Kariuki said the authority was in the process of formulating standards to be used by all ICT practitioners in the public service designed towards effective utilisation of resources.

The move is meant to ensure public resources allocated to departments, ministries and State corporations are managed effectively to serve the intended purpose.

“By applying the standards, there will be much more transparency and accountability to the taxpayer, with clear processes to break indicators down in a way that citizens understand,” she said.

Kariuki said once the standards come into force, it would be easier to track financial operations of any department with ease which would help curb wastage.