The two sides signed an agreement last week to set up the center, which will serve as a national focus point for coordinating cybersecurity incident response in the country. The center is expected to cost KSh36.2 million ($438,000) to set up, according to Business Daily (Nairobi).
Other functions of the Kenyan center will include liaising with the local sector CIRTs, gathering and disseminating technical information on computer security incidents, carrying out research and analysis on computer security, facilitating the development of public key infrastructure and capacity building in information security.
The ITU is supporting Kenya under its Global Cybersecurity Agenda framework for international cooperation aimed at enhancing confidence and security in the information society.
Commenting on the KE-CIRT/CC announcement, Tyrus Kamau, head of security and risk at Cellulant, a Kenyan mobile banking applications provider, told PC Advisor: "As a representative of the security community in Kenya, I would love to see the KE-CIRT well-equipped with the right personnel and also have a positive outlook when dealing with cybersecurity issues; my fear is that this might be among the many initiatives which the government might try to implement without private sector involvement."