Kenyans have been urged to be extra vigilant to avoid falling victim to the vices of computer misuse and cybercrimes even as it was noted that con persons have continued to take advantage of gullible Kenyans through mobile money transfer platforms, especially Safaricom’s M-Pesa.
Co-chair of the Taskforce on the Development of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act 2018 Col. Evans Ombati said the views being collected by the task force country-wide would be collated and included in the final draft of the regulations.
Ombati said their business is to develop regulations that meet the threshold of the current dynamics of technology and the requirements of the public and the government to conduct business in this country.
He was speaking on Tuesday during a public participation forum on the draft Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Regulations held at Christ the King Baptist Church in Malindi town moderated by members of the Taskforce from the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government and the Office of the Attorney General.
Speaking at the same forum, a Chief State Counsel in the Office of the Attorney General Ms Wanjiku Mbio said the vices have continued unabated due to the lack of a legal framework to prosecute offenders and hoped the proposed computer misuse and cybercrime regulations would cure the malady.
Mbio, who was one of the main facilitators during the public participation forum said there was great need for public awareness of the use of modern telecommunication gadgets for the public to be protected in cyberspace.
“We are now in the digital space worldwide, so this law is going to protect our nation from criminals and other people of ill repute who are doing business in cyberspace,” she said and gave an example of last month’s incident in which desperate Kenyans had their eyeballs scanned as they were being registered with World Coin.
Mbio said despite the order to register all SIM card holders, many people, especially non-Kenyans, were yet to be registered, hence the need for members of the public to continue being extra cautious.
She noted that these crimes have continued even though the Government, through the Communication Authority, ordered all telcos in the country to register all mobile phones and subscriber identification module (SIM) cards, with a threat to switch off unregistered gadgets and cards
“We are addressing a very big problem because Kenya is a destination of quite several human beings who are not ordinarily citizens of Kenya. We are experiencing an influx of nationals from other countries in Africa and the world, so not very many people from outside have complied with the law,” she said.
The Chief Counsel expressed the need for parents to be alert to ensure their children do not become victims of cyberbullying, adding that the Children’s Act 2022 has laid down provisions to safeguard children in cyberspace.
Participants pointed an accusing finger at the telcos and the Communication Authority on the increased cases of online theft, cyberbullying, and the proliferation of inappropriate online content such as pornography.
They called upon the government to act tough on persons who misuse computers and engage in cybercrimes to make the country safe in this era of technological advancement.
Mr. Bati Guni, a Malindi resident asked Safaricom to introduce more security features in its M-Pesa mobile funds transfers, including the use of National Identity Card numbers, to ensure that those receiving the funds are easily traced.
“If one sends money, one should also be required to input the ID number of the recipient alongside their phone numbers. This will make it impossible to send money to unregistered phone numbers and will eventually eliminate online conmanship,” he said.
Ms Wahida Duncan, also a resident of Malindi, urged parents to install parental control mechanisms on their children’s mobile gadgets to protect them from accessing inappropriate sites that could lead to online bullying.
During the forum, a participant narrated how he had been conned Sh47,000 by a fraudster who claimed to be an officer of the Kenya Power and Lighting Company but failed to connect electricity to his new house.