TITLE:
Closing the Cybersecurity Skill Gap in Kenya: Curriculum Interventions in Higher Education
AUTHORS:
Raphael M. Kaibiru, Simon M. Karume, Faith Kibas, Martin Luther Bwangah Onga’nyo
KEYWORDS:
Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity Skill Gap, Cybersecurity Curriculum, Institutions of Higher Learning
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Information Security,
Vol.14 No.2,
February
28,
2023
ABSTRACT: In the wake of increased cybercrime against
insufficient cybersecurity professionals, there is an urgent need to bridge the
skill-gap. The demand for skilled and experienced (approximately 40,000 to
50,000) cybersecurity professionals in Kenya is soaring all-time high. This
demand is against the available 1700 certified professionals. Therefore, this
paper seeks to bring to fore interventions put in place to address the skill
gap through curriculum interventions. In order to get a clear understanding,
the paper sought to determine the status of cybersecurity skill gap in Kenya
and what universities are doing to address the gap. The paper also sought to
propose the way forward to close the skill gap. This is a seminal review paper
in the field of cybersecurity in Kenya focusing on institutions of higher
learning and the interventions to address the cybersecurity skill gap. This
research is significant to the general institutions of higher learning in both
private and public universities. Results show that the cybersecurity skill gap
is very high in Kenya. Interventions being offered by universities include
partnerships with private cybersecurity organizations, offering cybersecurity
certification training hackathons, and degree programs. However, it was
established that only 13.2% of registered universities that offer cybersecurity
degree programs in Kenya. The paper therefore strongly recommends launch of
cybersecurity programs at the levels of undergraduate
and graduate in many universities. This can therefore be augmented with
other interventions such as certifications, hackathons and partnerships.
Further research can be conducted to establish factors affecting the launch of
cybersecurity programs in institutions of higher learning in Kenya. A further
research can also be conducted to determine the effect of supplementary
cybersecurity trainings such as hackathons and certifications.