NAIROBI, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Kenya is in the process of enacting a law that would protect the nation's vast Information Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure, a government official said on Tuesday.
Victor Kyalo, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Information Communication Technology (ICT), told Xinhua in Nairobi that a draft Critical Infrastructure Protection Bill will soon be tabled in Parliament for debate.
"We are hoping the law to be in place before end of May. Once operational, it will safeguard critical ICT assets such as fiber cables, base stations and data centers from malicious damage," Kyalo said.
Kyalo said that over the past decades, the government and private sector have invested millions of U.S. dollars in ICT infrastructure in a bid to increase internet connectivity throughout the country.
"This has led to increased cases of vandalism of ICT property to the detriment of society at large," he noted.
Kyalo said that the ICT law will lay out strategies on how to protect vital infrastructure as well as enhance penalties for those convicted of ICT vandalism.
According to the ministry of ICT, safeguarding critical infrastructure will have numerous benefits to the country.
"The cost of maintenance for ICT equipment will reduce and we hope organizations will also lower the cost of accessing ICT services for consumers in the country," he added.
Kyalo noted that ICT has been identified as an enabler for the government's key priority areas of agriculture, food security, affordable housing and manufacturing.
