Thread by @NMGLeadersForum

Surveillance in Kenya

A THREAD.

In November 2014, Safaricom PLC –Kenya’s largest telecommunications firm – signed a contract with the Government of Kenya for the installation of a security surveillance system worth KES. 15 Billion.

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For context, the Nairobi Metropolitan Ministry had procured the services of a Chinese firm called Nanjing Les Information Technologies for the installation of 51 cameras and a traffic light system back in 2012.

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The project by the former Nairobi Ministry of Metropolitan Development (now under Ministry of Infrastructure) was dubbed the 'Integrated Urban Surveillance System' cost tax payers a total of KES. 437 million.

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Safaricom was awarded the tender after clearance by the National Assembly and the National Security Committee. The tender included provision of a ‘National Surveillance, Communication, Command and Control System.’

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Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore & CS Henry Rotich appeared before the National Assembly’s Administration & Security Committee where they both defended the project including the tending process which was touted as “…done in line with the law.”

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Safaricom was expected to complete phase 1 by March 2015 and the whole project by June 2016. Functional CCTV cameras were to be installed in Nairobi & Mombasa to provide real-time footage of happenings in and around the 2 cities.

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This KES. 15 billion security infrastructure investment coupled with a re-organization of the country’s top security apparatus was GoK’s response to the need for security especially against the backdrop of the Westgate attack in 2013.

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The ‘National Surveillance, Communication, Command and Control System’ AKA IC3 was designed to serve three crucial functions including: the installation of an Emergency Call Centre (ECC) for in/out-coming trunk calls from the public.

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The Emergency Call Centre (ECE) would see to the revival of the debilitated 999, 112, & 911 emergency lines at the National Police Service.

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The second pillar of IC3 was the installation of a Dispatch Centre whose function was to respond to the calls coming into the ECE. According to the National Police Service, the ECE attends to an estimated 40,000 calls daily.

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The third pillar of the IC3 was/is the Strategic Operations & Monitoring Unit (SOMs) - this is considered to the be most integral part of the IC3.

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SOMs was meant to monitor public spaces via a Video Management System (VMS) designed to stream live feeds through CCTV equipped with an automatic number plate recognition (for vehicles) and a face recognition system for citizens.

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The success of SOMs rested with Safaricom's capacity to install 1800 units of CCTV cameras at various strategic points within and around Nairobi & Mombasa.

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In May 2015, Safaricom handed the project over to the government and 40 months later, GoK incorporated a facial recognition technology into IC3.

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However, Kenya's internal security woes did not end at the installation of a security surveillance system.

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In February 2015, Former Kabete MP George Muchai, his 2 body guards & a driver were assassinated along Kenyatta Avenue within Nairobi's CBD.

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A report filed by NTV Kenya's Seth Olale in January 2018 highlighted the plight of Nairobi residents who lamented over rampant crime within the CBD. #NMGLeadershipForum #SecuringOurSafety

Legislators have also added their voice to growing concern about the cameras installed within Nairobi's CBD with Starehe MP Charles Njagua calling for audit of the 'useless' CCTV units, citing soaring crime rates in January 2018.

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Here are some worrying facts about Kenya's CCTV surveillance systems:

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42 out 51 cameras installed under 'Integrated Urban Surveillance System' project by Nairobi Ministry of Metropolitan Development in 2012 are NOT working.

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Also, remember the KES. 15 Billion CCTV surveillance project by GoK and Safaricom? Turns out it has limited storage and the government has to delete videos every 30 days to create space for new content.

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In May 2018, a court ordered the police to pay KES. 10 million to the families of 2 men who disappeared in Kawangware after allegedly being arrested.

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Law Society of Kenya (LSK) requested the court to compel the National Police Service (NPS) to produce unedited footage from the day in question in 2016 when the two men - Brian Nzenze & Erickson Mambo disappeared.

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Director of the Integrated Command and Control Centre (IC3) Francis Gachina told the court that the multi-billion security CCTV surveillance system deletes photos & videos every 30 days from the day of recording/capture.

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