Role of Public-Private Sector Partnerships in Mitigating Cyber Security Threats in Kenya

• Fred Jonyo

  University of Nairobi

  Author

• Kaudo Philip

  University of Nairobi

  Author

Increasing espionage and technology-related crimes such as hacking have made cybersecurity a national priority in government and private sectors. Given the increasing vulnerabilities in cyber security and frequent attacks on personal information and the realization that data protection and management is a shared responsibility, public-private partnerships in cybersecurity have been considered a viable approach to mitigating cybersecurity threats. This study therefore focused on assessing the role of public-private sector partnerships in mitigating cybersecurity threats. The study adopted both primary and secondary data in data collection. 15 key informants, purposively sampled, will be involved in the study, and their findings will be corroborated by the already existing literature that assesses the role of public-private sector partnerships on cybersecurity. The research found that addressing cybersecurity threats is a collective and shared responsibility that requires the partnership of both the private and public sectors. The study established that critical cyber issues, including trust deficits, failure to standardize cyber policies and laws, and privacy concerns, among others, continue to hinder public-private partnerships on cybersecurity. The study also found that public-private partnerships present viable opportunities for information sharing, innovation, and the development of effective regulatory frameworks to limit cyberattacks. The research recommends the development of effective and efficient systems of data sharing, cyber security inter-agencies, and critical infrastructure protection. Other recommendations include conducting periodic joint audits and assessments, joint pooling of resources, joint training and sensitization on cyber security, establishment of a joint effective incident response and emergency management unit, strengthening frameworks and laws on cyber security, and lastly, further research is critical for cyber security.

1. Fred Jonyo, University of Nairobi

   Fred Jonyo is the current Chairman of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at the University of Nairobi. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology and Political Science from the University of Nairobi, a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the International University of Japan, and a PhD in Political Science and Public Administration from Makerere University in Uganda. His areas of specialization include Political Economy, International Relations, Trade and Investment Policy, and Security Studies. He has also held various government appointments and provided consulting services for organizations such as the National Assembly, Center for Parliamentary Studies and Training, National Counter Terrorism Center, and others.

2. Kaudo Philip, University of Nairobi

   Kaudo Philip is a political scientist, public policy analyst, and data-driven researcher who is currently pursuing a PhD in Public Policy Analysis at the University of Nairobi. He also holds a master's degree in Political Science and Government.  With a strong background in data analysis and governance issues, he has presented on the changing dynamics of private security in Kenya, including discussions on Western, Chinese, and local security firms, at forums in Nairobi and Abuja. Kaudo is active in both academic and policy circles, connecting rigorous research to real-world security challenges and contributing to informed discourse on governance, technology, and human security.

• pdf

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.