The Communications Authority of Kenya is hinting that the work from home policy adopted by most companies in Kenya in the heat of the coronavirus pandemic might have brought about increase in the number of internet scam. According to the quarterly sector statistics report covering July-September 2020 released by authority, a sharp increase in cyber threats during the period was experienced, with 35.1 million incidents detected, representing a 152.9 percent jump.
‘‘This increase in cyber threat attacks detected was attributed to the move to working remotely and increased uptake of e-commerce in response to the COVID-19 pandemic,’’ notes the report in part.
Online Bullies Had A Field Day
According to the authority, of the 354 requests received by the National Computer Incident Response Team/Coordination Centre (National KE-CIRT/CC) from investigative agencies, 36.2 percent being attributed to online abuse, 27.4 percent linked to online fraud while 1.7 percent was related to child online abuse.
‘‘Cyberbullying and Internet trolling cases were also on the rise, with these being used for malicious intent across Kenyan domains and social media platforms,’’ reads the report.
The Authority said, in response to the incidences, it issued 21,785 advisories to various stakeholders.
“The period witnessed a decrease in impersonation cases, which is attributed to increased awareness campaigns to the public across the print media, television, and social media platforms, geared towards protecting digital footprints, as well as the operationalization of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, which is a deterrent measure,’’ it noted in the report.
Work from Home Kenya
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$6.7 Billion In Mobile Money Transfers In Just Three Months
According to the authority, the total value of KSh. 735 billion ($6.7 Billion) were transacted in the three months to September 2020.
The value of customer-to-business transfers during the period was an increase of 64.8 percent compared to the preceding quarter.
‘‘As was the case last quarter, the values transacted on mobile money platforms continued to increase with the adoption of cashless payments aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19,’’ notes the report.
In the same period, there was a 41.7 percent increase in the payments for Government services with KSh. 12.3 billion transacted up from KSh. 8.7 billion in the previous quarter.
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The total value of deposits also went up by 40.1 percent to stand at KSh.888 billion up from KSh. 634 billion registered in the April-June period.
The period also saw 713.9 million person-to-person transfers valued at KSh.896 billion.
The number of mobile money agents and mobile money subscription agents also went up by 9.8 and 4.2 percent to stand at 245,124 and 31.8 million subscriptions respectively.
Mobile And Internet Subscriptions At An All-time High
The increased demand for ICT services during the COVID period also saw the number of active mobile subscriptions increase to 59.8 million up from 57 million, pushing the mobile (SIM) penetration to 125.8 percent.
Total data/Internet subscriptions increased by 4.8 percent to stand at 43.4 million with mobile data subscriptions accounting for 98.5 percent of the total subscriptions. The positive growth of data/Internet is attributed to increased dependence on digital platforms for work, learning, healthcare, shopping, and entertainment.
During the same period, the total used international bandwidth went up by 14.2 percent to stand at 3,697.62 Gbps up from 3,238.21 Gbps in the previous quarter.
The ICT sector is expected to continue evolving rapidly with tech innovation, digital transformation, and enhanced connectivity in the country.
‘‘As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage the world, the importance of a robust and inclusive digital economy, together with reliable broadband services is imperative,’’ notes the report.
Charles Rapulu Udoh
Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer who has advised startups across Africa on issues such as startup funding (Venture Capital, Debt financing, private equity, angel investing etc), taxation, strategies, etc. He also has special focus on the protection of business or brands’ intellectual property rights ( such as trademark, patent or design) across Africa and other foreign jurisdictions.
He is well versed on issues of ESG (sustainability), media and entertainment law, corporate finance and governance.
He is also an award-winning writer