Dr. Raymond Omollo, Internal Security Principal Secretary
The government has raised fresh alarm over the rising scale and sophistication of cyber-attacks targeting public and private institutions, with Internal Security Principal Secretary Dr. Raymond Omollo warning that Africa is now losing more than USD 4 billion annually to cybercrime.
Speaking in Nairobi on Monday during the official opening of the Third African Forum on Cybercrime and Electronic Evidence, Dr. Omollo said Kenya’s rapid digital transformation now ranked among the ten fastest-growing digital economies globally—has increased the country’s vulnerability to advanced cyber threats.
He urged African governments to strengthen cross-border cooperation, improve mutual legal assistance, and enhance investigative and prosecutorial capacities to counter the “rising complexity of cyber-enabled crimes.”
“The growing sophistication of cyber threats demands coordinated international action. We must jointly build stronger investigative frameworks and equip our institutions to respond effectively,” Dr. Omollo said.
The PS also underscored the crucial role of Africa’s youth in shaping the continent’s digital safety frameworks. He cautioned that young people face heightened risks including identity theft, misinformation, and data exploitation, adding that growing anonymity online has become a “pressing generational concern.”
Meanwhile, Supreme Court Judge Dr. Smokin Wanjala called for urgent and sustained judicial capacity-building to enable courts across Africa to effectively handle complex digital evidence and emerging cyber-related offences.
Justice Wanjala revealed that the Kenya Judiciary Academy is already running training programmes in digital forensics, cybercrime investigations, data protection, and online child protection, aimed at strengthening the judiciary’s ability to manage modern technology-driven cases.
The three-day forum has brought together hundreds of global cybercrime experts and criminal justice actors from 35 countries, making Nairobi a major hub for regional and international collaboration on cyber safety.
The conference is expected to generate new strategies for combating digital crime across the continent while reinforcing Africa’s collective response to rapidly evolving cyber threats.