Govt steps up safety against cybersecurity and data privacy

Digital Economy William Kabogo appearing before the Senate plenary on Wednesday, October 7, 2026. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

The Government is stepping up efforts to protect Kenyans from online gender-based violence, cybercrime and misuse of personal information, Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications and the Digital Economy William Kabogo has told the Senate.

Appearing before the Senate plenary on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, Kabogo outlined measures being implemented to prevent, detect and investigate technology-facilitated violence, including the non-consensual sharing of private information online.

The CS was responding to questions raised by Kilifi Senator Justice (Rtd) Stewart Madzayo, who sought clarity on mechanisms available to victims of online gender-based violence to report incidents, access assistance and have their complaints investigated and resolved.

Kabogo said the Ministry’s response is anchored on five areas: regulation, public awareness and capacity building, detection and response through the Kenya Computer Incident Response Team-Coordination Centre (KE-CIRT/CC), digital forensics and technical support, and multi-agency collaboration.

He said the Government had developed the Industry Guidelines for Child Online Protection and Safety in Kenya, 2025, requiring ICT service providers, device manufacturers and other players in the digital ecosystem to strengthen protections for children.

The guidelines provide for age-appropriate safeguards, responsible content moderation, transparency in data protection, safety by design and compliance with child protection laws.

Kabogo also pointed to existing reporting and referral mechanisms for victims of gender-based violence and violence against women. These include the GBV helpline 1195, Child Helpline 116 and national emergency numbers 999 and 112.

As social media increasingly becomes a platform where online abuse can spread rapidly, the Ministry has also been engaging digital platforms to strengthen user protections.

Kabogo cited TikTok’s second-quarter 2026 transparency report, which showed that 750,185 videos in Kenya were removed, with 99.8 per cent of the content taken down proactively and 93.8 per cent removed within 24 hours.

The removed content included material linked to adult sexual abuse, harassment and bullying, body exposure, sexualised behaviour, as well as sexual and physical abuse involving young people.

Beyond content removal, the Government is seeking to improve coordination among institutions responsible for communications regulation, law enforcement, justice, child protection, data privacy and cybersecurity.

Kabogo said agreed actions include establishing a technical working group on online safety, formalising inter-agency collaboration, developing a national referral directory, identifying gaps in existing legislation and conducting joint public sensitisation programmes.

At the centre of the Government’s technical response is the National KE-CIRT/CC, which operates around the clock to detect, prevent and respond to cyber threats.

The system provides a channel for addressing incidents involving online abuse, harassment, impersonation, privacy violations and other forms of technology-facilitated violence.

The Ministry has also established a Digital Forensics Lab within KE-CIRT/CC to identify, preserve, analyse and present digital evidence. Kabogo told senators that the facility had received more than 200 requests for forensic investigations, most involving online abuse.

On data protection, the CS said the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner had registered 21,020 data handlers by June 30, 2026, while receiving 12,576 complaints from members of the public.

Of these, 19 complaints involved the non-consensual sharing of personal data on social media platforms. Complainants whose cases involved criminal elements were advised to report them to the National Computer and Cybercrimes Coordination Committee.

However, Kabogo acknowledged a gap in interventions in Kilifi County. He said the Ministry had not undertaken specific interventions there following the launch of the online gender-based violence campaign, but would leverage national programmes to implement the Kilifi County Strategy.

The Government also plans to work with grassroots early-warning networks, digital community stewards and county governments to strengthen cybersecurity awareness and data protection.

Kabogo said the Ministry would continue engaging the Senate on proposed amendments to the Kenya Information and Communications Act, Data Protection Act and cybersecurity laws, with the broader objective of ensuring that Kenyans and counties operate within a safer digital environment.