[kictanet] Security Situation in Kenya

Mon Jun 16 15:08:18 EAT 2014

I agree. We won't have gotten to the root of the problem when we get 4G
etc. We need to invest in intelligence.

Phillip,

There have been ways of collecting intelligence without technology for
years - for instance, during the cold war (yes, technology improved
intelligence gathering, but inserting sleeper agents, interrogation of
arrested criminals and general crime crackdowns yield more than a
surveillance state). Think about it - the UK/US knew about the attacks -
they don't have camera's monitoring Lamu. They do, however, have well oiled
intelligence mechanisms.

My point here is - the incentives that the entire police machinery in Kenya
have is not providing security, but rather, rent seeking. That is what
needs to change. When that changes, they will have an incentive to use the
technology anyway, but when the Inspector General rewards his police
officers by allowing them to shake down innocent civilians (being arrested
for not scanning people for bombs, absurd tint directives etc), he's
basically sending a message that the citizens security is not his priority.

On Mon, Jun 16, 2014 at 2:50 PM, Ngigi Waithaka <ngigi at at.co.ke> wrote:

> Phares,
>
> Even saying "...this is not a technology problem ..." can be quite the
> answer to the problem.
>
> One of the problems I am seeing with the recent trend is where there is
> this belief that once this 3G, 4G, 5G etc police network gets up, we will
> have gotten to the root of the problem. Its the classic case of having the
> only tool being a hammer, and no wonder the solution is Networks.
>
> IMO, you would probably get more bang for your buck if you put half of the
> Ksh 15B budget into human intelligence i.e buying information from
> informants than through spending it on to getting real-time images from our
> cities.
>
> Rgds
>
>
> On Mon, Jun 16, 2014 at 2:42 PM, Phares Kariuki via kictanet <
> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>
>> I'm not convinced it's a technology issue, rather a lack of will. We've
>> got people who benefit from the lack of security (ivory trade, drugs etc),
>> so the government is not incentivised to fight crime in general. What the
>> government fails to realise is that petty crime finances larger crimes. Al
>> Shabaab does not have an investment bank where they can get a convertible
>> note to finance a terror attack, it can't really list on the NSE. They
>> traffic drugs, ivory etc. The solution is a thorough crack down on crime
>> which generally tends to provide the intelligence bodies with much needed
>> intel. We can't eat our cake and have it too. The government seems to think
>> that they can have lax security policy and still somehow secure the
>> country.
>>
>> We additionally need to look at who is in charge of security policy. It's
>> absurd to have someone who thinks that a crack down on tint (an illegal
>> crack down no less) is in charge of the police force. The individual
>> charged with enforcing the law does not understand or respect the law. The
>> internal security minister is, frankly, clueless. We've got no cohesive
>> security policy.
>>
>> Crime has always been an issue. You might have technology, but it's worth
>> precious little if it takes the armed forces 4-5 hours to respond, or if
>> they will try and shake down the terrorist for bribes. A lot of this
>> technology was not there in the eighties, nineties and noughties.
>>
>> At this point, there is a shortage of police because they are busy
>> washing cars in the judiciary or guarding "VIP's". There is a shortage of
>> police cars because every "VIP" gets a chase car to ensure that they are
>> insulated from their policy failures (traffic, insecurity etc). The state
>> at this point does not really care about the citizen and it's primary
>> concern is extracting the citizen (corporate included) to finance rent
>> seekers who have no economic value. Our taxes keep increasing and because
>> the state has a monopoly on violence, we are not really allowed to question
>> how the state mis-uses our taxes.
>>
>> What we have is not a technology problem but rather general failure of an
>> arm of government.
>>
>>
>> On Mon, Jun 16, 2014 at 2:09 PM, Gichuki John Chuksjonia via kictanet <
>> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>>
>>> Kenyan Government needs to install the concept of Command, Control,
>>> Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and
>>> Reconnaissance "C4ISR", like the US and Israel did. The youth are
>>> capable of helping in such an initiative, and the Govt needs to use
>>> the youth instead of denying them projects, when we are the ones who
>>> know how to write applications, use computer networks to implement ICT
>>> Products that cant effectively and efficiently help Kenyan Security
>>>
>>> ./Chucks
>>>
>>> On 6/16/14, Ngigi Waithaka via kictanet <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
>>> wrote:
>>> > Listers,
>>> >
>>> > In case you might not have heard, there has been a very serious
>>> security
>>> > breach that has occurred in Mpeketoni, Lamu that has so far claimed
>>> close
>>> > to 50 persons.
>>> >
>>> > The details on this are here
>>> >
>>> http://www.nation.co.ke/news/mpeketoni-Lamu-gunfire-al-shabaab-terrorism/-/1056/2349860/-/yf5qvgz/-/index.html
>>> >
>>> > To put this into context, Mpeketoni is the largest town, bar Lamu,
>>> between
>>> > the Somali Border and Malindi and the center of commercial activity in
>>> the
>>> > region.
>>> >
>>> > So, as much as a lot of us might not know it, the fact that Al-Shabbab
>>> > could drive trucks full of fighters into such a town and commit these
>>> > crimes and then leave should send all the security-bells that we have
>>> > ringing.
>>> >
>>> > This is exactly how Boko Haram started in Nigeria and we are seeing it
>>> > played out here right infront of us.
>>> >
>>> > I think its time that we spoke as the local ICT Community and came up
>>> with
>>> > a stand on what in our opinion needs to be done in ICT Terms to secure
>>> this
>>> > nation.
>>> >
>>> > As an example, it would actually be very irresponsible of us to let a
>>> few
>>> > gentlemen to come together and tell us the solution to our current
>>> security
>>> > problems, from an ICT perspective, is a police network deal that
>>> largely
>>> > puts CCTV Cameras in Nairobi & Mombasa, when maybe nothing is being
>>> spent
>>> > to secure our porous borders as well as actual on-the-ground
>>> intelligence
>>> > collection.
>>> >
>>> > We could send this as a proposal to the powers that be as well as the
>>> > parliamentary ICT Committee and hope, nay, push, until something gets
>>> done.
>>> > The way I see this working is, we draft a document, brief and simple
>>> with
>>> > what our recommendations are, then Listers can comment on it. If
>>> largely
>>> > agreeable, we send it to the powers that be.
>>> >
>>> > Let me now what your thoughts are, and we could see what we can do
>>> about
>>> > this.
>>> >
>>> > --
>>> > *Regards,*
>>> >
>>> > *Wait**haka Ngigi*
>>> > Chief Executive Officer | Alliance Technologies | MCK Nairobi Synod
>>> > Building
>>> > T + 254 (0) 20 2333 471 |Office Mobile: +254 786 28 28 28 | M + 254
>>> 737 811
>>> > 000
>>> > www.at.co.ke
>>> >
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> --
>>> Gichuki John Ndirangu, C.E.H , C.P.T.P, O.S.C.P
>>> I.T Security Analyst and Penetration Tester
>>> jgichuki at inbox d0t com
>>>
>>> {FORUM}http://lists.my.co.ke/pipermail/security/
>>> http://chuksjonia.blogspot.com/
>>>
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>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Warm Regards,
>>
>> Phares Kariuki
>>
>> *E*: pkariuki at gmail.com | *Twitter*: kaboro |* Skype*: kariukiphares |
>> *B*: http://www.kaboro.com/ |
>>
>>
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>>
>>
>> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform
>> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
>> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
>> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
>>
>> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
>> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth,
>> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do
>> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
>>
>
>
>
> --
> *Regards,*
>
> *Wait**haka Ngigi*
> Chief Executive Officer | Alliance Technologies | MCK Nairobi Synod
> Building
> T + 254 (0) 20 2333 471 |Office Mobile: +254 786 28 28 28 | M + 254 737
> 811 000
> www.at.co.ke
>
>
>

-- 
Warm Regards,

Phares Kariuki

*E*: pkariuki at gmail.com | *Twitter*: kaboro |* Skype*: kariukiphares | *B*:
http://www.kaboro.com/ |
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