The first U.S.-Kenya Cyber Dialogue, which addressed issues each country is facing due to cybercrime and the need for cybersecurity, was held Dec, 1, a U.S. Department of State press release said.
Michele Markoff, the Department of State’s Acting Coordinator for Cyber Issues, headed the U.S. delegation which included officials from the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice and National Institute of Standards and Technology, the release said.
"The virtual dialogue covered issues of mutual concern such as addressing cybercrime, enhancing cybersecurity and resilience, supporting a stable cyberspace, and increasing cooperation on cybersecurity incident handling," the release said. “The United States appreciates its strong strategic partnership with Kenya, dedicated to advancing peace and prosperity in Africa and the western Indian Ocean region.”
Representatives of the Kenyan delegation were headed by Dennis N. Mutiso, Chairman of the National Computer and Cybercrimes Coordination Committee (NC4), the release said. They included participants from the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of ICT, ICT Authority, Communications Authority and the Central Bank of Kenya.
“Wonderful to have opened the first U.S.-Kenya Cyber Dialogue this week,” Charge d’Affaires Eric Kneedler of the U.S. Embassy in Kenya said on Twitter. “By enhancing cybersecurity, improving incident response, and addressing cybercrime, the [United States and Kenya] are working together to ensure an interoperable, reliable, and secure cyberspace.”
The meeting was arranged under the Second U.S.-Kenya Bilateral Strategic Dialogue, which addressed a wide range of topics including trade, governance, defensive capability and education. During the dialogue, Kenya and the U.S. committed to “enhance cooperation on university education, academic research, academic scholarship, technical and vocational training and capacity building for the Ministry of Education,” a Nov. 17 press release from the State Department said.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic was also addressed in the meeting, with Kenyan officials expressing gratitude for $76 million in health equipment provided by the U.S., as well as the delivery of more than 4 million vaccine doses, the Nov. 17 release said.
