Kenya’s CCK has rebranded to Communications Authority of Kenya with a remittance of over Four Billion to the National Treasury in a culmination of ICT sector reforms that will ensure a good measure of regulatory independence and transparency in the management of the ICT sector.
The industry regulator now assumes an enhanced scope and jurisdiction with an added mandate to develop and review Regulations on SIM card registration. The Authority‘s mandate in regulating electronic transactions now includes cyber security while the Broadcasting regulatory function has equally expanded to include administering broadcast content, developing media standards and monitoring compliance .
Speaking during the launch of the new identity, His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta noted the country’s fast adoption of ICTs and called for the need to have a strong regulatory framework in line with the ever changing industry trends.
He said the fast developments were an indicator of the of a vibrant ICT sector. The current government spend on ICTs is more than 5.16 Million US Dollars with a planned increase to 5.86 billion in 2017. Government also plans to increase the budgetary allocation to ICTs and also spend at least 7.8 billion on infrastructure development in the coming decade.
President Kenyatta also launched the Kenya’s National Cybersecurity Framework that includes the National Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and the Kenya Computer Incident Response Team Co-ordination Centre (KE-CIRT/CC). The two facilities are established to promote efficient management of critical internet resources and facilitate the investigation and prosecution of cybercrime. The KE-CIRT/CC provides early warning and advisory services for cyber incidents while the Public Key Infrastructure will facilitate the issuance of virtual identities to secure online transactions in the country.
The Kenya Information and Communication (Amendment) Act, 2013 provided for an institution that is independent of control by government, political or commercial interests.
Communications Authority Director General, Francis Wangusi assured the industry that the new brand will be in a more strategic position to address the demands of the fast changing environment and technology sophistication. He said that the Communications Authority has purposed to transform the lives of Kenyans through progressive regulation.
The Communications Authority of Kenya will soon open four regional offices in Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret and Nyeri to spread its reach to Counties. The Authority has ambitious targets to increase penetration of mobile telephony to 90%, broadband penetration to 10% and internet uptake to 70% by the year 2018.
The Authority remitted a staggering Four Billion, Ninety Five Million, One Hundred and Twenty Four Thousand, Five Hundred and Seventy Five (Ksh. 4,095,124,575) to Treasury. The remittance constitutes 90% of the Authority’s net surplus for the Financial Year ended 30th June 2013. It is the one of the highest recorded contributions to the ex-chequer from a public institution in the last decade.
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