Kenya is sadly a haven for hackers committing crimes in cyberspace and this will not change until tougher policies and legislation are put into place to enhance cybersecurity.
26.6 million cyber threats occurred in the country between April and June 2019, according to a report by the National Kenya Computer Incident Response Team Coordination Centre.
Cyber-attacks have real-world consequences ranging from identity theft to billions of shillings being lost every year. Moreover, the Communications Authority of Kenya reports that 3 in 4 shillings stolen through cybercrime in 2018 were not recovered.
A major obstacle to improving the cybersecurity environment in Kenya is the lack of professional talent and skills shortages among ordinary citizens who go online every day.
Against this backdrop, the Sochin Research Institute will hold a series of cybersecurity training in the coming ten months and it conducted a survey to assess participants. The random sample survey targeted Nairobians between 15 to 35 years old and it comprised 12 questions.
277 responses were collected (79 percent male and 21 percent female) and analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis.
Key highlights from the pre-assessment study are:
- The median score was seven correct questions and previous cybersecurity training had no significant statistical impact on the scores;
- Women 20 to 30 years old were as knowledgeable as men;
- 72 percent of respondents had either an undergraduate or graduate degree through education levels had no impact on test results;
- Respondents from the IT sector performed somewhat better than people with a non-IT sector background;
- Respondents performed better with scenario-based questions than with theory-based ones.
Stereotypes about women in technology need to be shattered. Women are just as capable as men and they need to be offered more opportunities in the cybersecurity sector. Given that the sector is well suited for skills enhancement through self-study, young women are just as competitive in the marketplace as men.
This is particularly important when considering that while women attend university and TVETS at similar rates to men, they are far less likely to be formally employed. If employers use an aptitude based recruitment process, they will discover that formal education does not serve as a good predictor for job performance. Anybody with the right aptitude and training can be successful in the cybersecurity field.
Following this study, Dr. Rosa Ko, the President of the Sochin Research Institute, wants to design a county-wide index that reflects youth vulnerability to cybersecurity threats and risks. She is of the opinion that “results from such a study can also be used to better design ICT training programs that need to emphasize scenario-based learning over theoretical learning.” Dr. Ko looks forward to the day when there are more female role models in technology who can inspire the young generation.
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