Top Students Awarded as Kenya Expands Cybersecurity Training Programmes

Kenya is strengthening its cybersecurity workforce by expanding training programmes and deepening industry partnerships, even as attacks on critical digital infrastructure decline. The renewed focus featured at the 2026 Cybersecurity Bootcamp finals, organised by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) with Huawei Kenya, where top students received awards for cybersecurity excellence.

Speaking on behalf of CA Director General David Mugonyi, Eng. Dennis Chepkwony, Director of the Universal Service Fund, said the Bootcamp supports Kenya’s broader strategy to build local cybersecurity expertise and strengthen national resilience. “This Bootcamp is not just a training programme; it is a strategic effort to strengthen national resilience” Mr. Mugonyi said.

The programme drew more than 3,000 applicants. Of these, 820 qualified for online self-paced training, where over 200 subsequently moved to instructor-led practical sessions, and 20 finalists reached the final stage.

The top three winning groups came from various Kenyan universities.

• Group One: Raphael Kaira (Dedan Kimathi University of Technology), Purity Mwende (The Co-operative University of Kenya), and Alex Muturi (Technical University of Kenya).

• Group Two: Doreen Kanini, Diana Soita, and Vaata Patience, all from Technical University of Kenya.

• Group Three: Fred Kibichi (Multimedia University of Kenya), Blessed Ben (KCA University), and Nelson Kariuki (Africa Nazarene University).

Participants in the 2026 Cybersecurity Bootcamp received hands-on training in network security, encryption, firewall management, threat detection and public key infrastructure, preparing them to respond to increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.

In his remarks, Mr. Mugonyi warned that cybercriminals’ growing use of artificial intelligence for AI-assisted phishing, social engineering and automated attack tools has raised demand for advanced, practical training. He urged universities and training institutions to align curricula with emerging threats by incorporating hackathons, simulations and capture-the-flag competitions.

The Authority reported that more than 3.3 billion cyber threat events were detected between January and March 2026, a 26 percent decrease from October to December 2025. In response to these threats, the Authority issued over 20 million cyber threat advisories during the same period, which was a five (5) percent decline from the previous period. Despite these reductions, government agencies, banks, universities and Internet Service Providers remained targets, underscoring the need for continued investment in preparedness and training.

The Director General reiterated that capacity building remains central to Kenya’s national cybersecurity strategy, and appreciated the collaboration and partnerships across both public and private sector that have supported the training of professionals in threat intelligence sharing and incident response.

Kaine Zhang, Huawei Kenya’s Country Cybersecurity and Privacy Officer, reaffirmed Huawei’s commitment to supporting skills development through collaboration with government, universities and industry. “We will continue to provide secure solutions for our customers in Kenya and offer more cybersecurity training for government, industry experts, students and other Kenyan citizens,” Mr. Zhang said.

Huawei, which has operated in Kenya for more than 25 years, said it will keep investing in training for students, ICT professionals and public sector officials.

The CA Director General challenged finalists to uphold ethical standards and pursue continuous learning as threats evolve. “Cybersecurity is ultimately about protecting people, their money, their data and their trust in digital systems,” he said. “The investments we make today in building this talent are the defences Kenya will depend on tomorrow.”

The Authority has been hosting the annual cybersecurity bootcamps since 2020.