The United States and Kenya held their first Cyber Dialogue under the U.S.-Kenya Bilateral Strategic Dialogue on December 1.
The Department of State’s Acting Coordinator for Cyber Issues Michele Markoff represented the U.S. delegation, while officials from various departments including the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, National Institute of Standards and Technology, among other agencies participated in the dialogue.
The Kenyan delegation was led by Dennis N. Mutiso, Chairman of the National Computer and Cybercrimes Coordination Committee (NC4), while several officials 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, joined the meeting.
According to the U.S. Department of State media release, the virtual dialogue covered issues of mutual concern and both sides consulted on “addressing cybercrime, enhancing cybersecurity and resilience, supporting a stable cyberspace, and increasing cooperation on cybersecurity incident handling.”
The statement also highlighted that “The United States appreciates its strong strategic partnership with Kenya, dedicated to advancing peace and prosperity in Africa and the western Indian Ocean region.”
Earlier on November 17, 2021, both countries held the second session of the Kenya-United States Bilateral Strategic Dialogue in Nairobi. The Joint Statement on the Second Kenya-U.S. Bilateral Strategic Dialogue highlighted that both countries remain “committed to enhance cooperation in police reforms and equipment, combatting cybercrime, and administration of justice.”
The U.S. and Kenya also agreed to “expand their partnership to defend against common cyber threats, and reaffirmed their mutual commitment to an open, interoperable, reliable and secure Internet and a stable cyberspace,” the joint statement added.
