NAIROBI, Kenya — President William Ruto has appointed cybersecurity expert Martin Koyabe as the Non-Executive Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the National Cybersecurity Agency (NCSA) for a three-year term.
Koyabe’s appointment took effect on August 21, 2026, according to Gazette Notice No. 13506, issued under the State Corporations (National Cybersecurity Agency) Order, 2026.
The appointment marks another step towards operationalising the newly established agency, which is expected to coordinate Kenya’s response to growing cyber threats and strengthen the security of the country’s digital infrastructure.
Koyabe brings cybersecurity expertise
Before his appointment, Koyabe served as Founding Partner and Technical Director at Africa Cyber Expertise (ACE).
In that role, he was responsible for overseeing the design and delivery of cybersecurity solutions and providing technical leadership for the organisation’s engagements.
His work included national cybersecurity assessments, cybersecurity maturity models, strategy development, regulatory advisory and the design of capacity-building programmes.
His appointment therefore places an experienced cybersecurity professional at the head of the board as Kenya seeks to strengthen its institutional response to cyber threats.
Parliament approved National Cybersecurity Agency
The Government announced plans to establish the National Cybersecurity Agency in December 2025, with the agency envisioned as a key institution for protecting citizens’ data, securing Government systems and strengthening Kenya’s position in cybersecurity and the digital economy.
Parliament subsequently approved the establishment of the agency in June 2026.
The NCSA is expected to coordinate Kenya’s national cybersecurity efforts and help protect the country’s rapidly expanding digital infrastructure from cyber threats.
The Ministry of Interior described parliamentary approval as an important milestone in strengthening Kenya’s ability to prevent, detect and respond to cyber threats.
Appointment comes amid rising cyber threats
Koyabe’s appointment comes as Kenya faces an increasingly complex cybersecurity environment involving cyber fraud, ransomware, social engineering, malware, distributed denial-of-service attacks and AI-assisted threats.
The Kenya Computer Incident Response Team–Coordination Centre has also reported billions of cyber events, highlighting the scale of threats facing government systems, businesses and individual users.
The establishment of the NCSA is intended to provide a more coordinated national framework for addressing such threats.
Agency expected to strengthen cyber resilience
The new agency is expected to play a central role in coordinating cybersecurity initiatives across Government and strengthening the protection of critical information infrastructure.
It will also support efforts to improve Kenya’s capacity to respond to cyber incidents as more public and private-sector services move online.
Koyabe’s three-year term begins as the Government moves to translate the legislative framework establishing the agency into an operational institution.
The appointment of the board chairperson is therefore expected to pave the way for the agency to begin executing its national cybersecurity mandate.
