The Regulator MOVING TO THE NEW NORMAL

Whilethe is no doubt that COVID-19 has created unprecedented business and regulatory disruption in a condensed period, there are massive changes to how the ICT industry regulator continues to operate, regulate and supervise purposely to uphold compliance. Humphrey Odhiambo talked to Mercy Wanjau, Ag. Director General, Communications Authority of Kenya on the day-to-day firefighting on the wake of disruption, new risks can appear quickly, and existing risks that can manifest into real problems.

Considering the regulatory aspects of CA during this unprecedented COVID-19 scourge, how has the crisis affected routine operations of the industry regulator?

In line with the Presidential directive requiring institutions to allow staff to work from home, the Authority has also scaled down its office operations with about three quarters of staff working from home.

This is aimed at minimizing frequent interactions that may create an environment for further spread of the COVID-19. However, our operations are going on normally, as we have adopted new mechanisms of working. We have for instance scaled up the use of video conferencing to hold virtual meetings and enabled staff to work remotely.

To what extent has disruption by COVID-19 recalibrated how the Authority while observing its mandate and effectively collaborate and help sector players rebound back to business after navigating through the COVID-19 crisis?

The Coronavirus is adversely affecting the whole spectrum of the economy and the ICT industry is no exception. We are continually engaging with the operators to ensure that they put in place contingency measures which will address the huge demand for communications services during this period and on the other hand, any negative impact in terms of the sustainability of their businesses in this season.

Separately, the industry is also encouraging the operators to activate their business continuity measures to meet any challenges that may arise during this period of uncertainty. We are in this regard alive to this new reality and wish to assure Kenyans that we are doing everything possible to ensure the services are available and in sufficient levels.

The Authority is also working round the clock to cushion consumers against unfair exploitation that may arise from individuals wishing to take advantage of the present predicament.

We advise ICT consumers to report such cases to the Authority through email: chukuahatua@ ca.go.ke, telephone: 0703-042-000/ 0204242000/ and through our social media platforms.

What are some of the obvious challenges CA is experiencing as it adjusts to render its core services to the optimum in this rapidly changing times digital times?

At the moment, one of the major challenges is our staff working in the office can only do so up to 4.00 PM, to enable them beat the curfew time. This means we can only serve customers visiting our offices physically up to that time. Secondly our staff working from home have had to adapt to the new normal and are expected to deliver just as when they were in office. In the first weeks there were some challenges as the staff also had to cope with teething issues, such as time management and also grapple with other duties such as home schooling for their kids.

How does CA purpose to enhance security of critical installation along with the IT enterprise community as both the public and private sector players accelerate the deployment of digital solutions going forward?

With the Coronavirus pandemic, the Authority through the National Computer Incident Response Team Coordination Centre (National KE-CIRT/CC), has noted a dramatic increase in cases of cyber threats related to the COVID-19) outbreak.

Cyber criminals are aware that what’s on people’s mind now is the COVID-19 and that’s why we now see cases revolving around the circulation of alarming information which then lure unsuspecting users to open such information in the form of emails, or social media posts and some through SMS related scams.

Such communication, that in technical language we call Phishing, tend to be emails appearing like they are from a reputable company which then require one to provide personal information such as usernames, passwords and credit card information.

The cyber-offenders aren’t sleeping. Right?

Criminals hardly sleep. They are now using even email messages that might request you to open an attachment in order to view the latest statistics or information on Coronavirus. If you click on the attachment or embedded link, you are likely to download malicious software onto your device which could allow them to take control of your computer, access your personal information and financial data, which could lead to identity theft.

Then we have the other one which comes in the form of a misleading headline on a website or social media platform. This one is intended to entice the reader to follow the link so as to read, view or listen to the linked piece of information.

The misleading content could be a video, picture, story or combination, which is packaged in an alluring and sensational manner such as, “You won’t believe it,” “You’ll never guess who said this” with the objective of tempting users to click on the links. What precautions should be taken considering that remote working suddenly become the norm?

Both individuals and organizations must observe a number of safety precautions against these cyber threats. These include requests for personal information. It is important to be on the look-out for suspicious emails or phone calls requesting for your account information or asking you to verify your account information.

It is very important to as well pick out on grammatical and spelling mistakes on mails. If an email includes spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors, it might be a sign that it could be a phishing email. Simply delete it.

For the unencrypted/unsecure websites, it is important to note that reputable organizations use encryption such as Secure Socket Layer (SSL) on their websites. Certificate errors on the browser could be a warning sign that something is amiss with the website. It is critical in this regard to fact check and carry out due diligence before sharing any information to such sites. Look out for fake websites masquerading as legitimate.

Only trust information from reliable sources. Consult reputable sources such as the Ministry of Health, Center for Disease Control or World Health Organization for reliable information on the Coronavirus.

As one of Kenya’s most agile industry regulators what are some of the gaps and bottlenecks for deploying the 4th Industrial Revolution Technologies, which would accelerate limitless development possibilities?

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR)—characterized by the fusion of the digital, biological, and physical worlds, as well as the growing utilization of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, robotics, 3D printing, the Internet of Things, and advanced wireless technologies, among others—has ushered in a new era of economic disruption with uncertain socio-economic consequences globally, Kenya included.

Clearly, the 4IR presents significant opportunities as well as challenges, while the opportunities outweigh the challenges, as a regulator the gaps that needs to be addressed includes, data security or Cybersecurity issues, fears of job loss and increasing the broadband penetration in the country. The coverage of 2G and 3G stands at 96 per cent and 93 per cent of the population respectively. The Authority is driving a number of initiatives to close access gaps including; voice infrastructure and school broadband connectivity projects under the Universal Service Fund (USF), enforcement of operator’s license obligations and licensing of additional frequencies that support mobile services. With continued rollout and expansion of 3G, 4G and fibre optic infrastructure, more Kenyans especially in rural areas will be connected to better quality broadband services. This will provide them more opportunities to harness the benefits of e-services.

In addition to the infrastructural challenges, inadequate skills compromises both people’s ability to use technology and their ability to find and retain employment in an increasingly digital world. Without targeted investments for improving infrastructure and for developing skills, large segments of the population will be left behind in an increasingly digital world, worsening the digital divide.

Other technological bottlenecks include a lack of standardized application programming interfaces and common data languages for the increased integration of largely selfsufficient systems as well as exposure to the dangers of cyberattacks.