The three-year appointment, effective August 21, 2026, brings over three decades of global ICT and cyber‑capacity‑building experience to Kenya’s digital security leadership.
NAIROBI, Kenya – President William Ruto has appointed Dr. Martin Koyabe, a Kenyan cybersecurity expert based in the United Kingdom, as the Non‑Executive Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the National Cybersecurity Agency. The appointment, announced in a gazette notice dated August 21, 2026, takes effect immediately and runs for a term of three years.
The notice, signed by the President, states: “In Exercise of the powers conferred by section 7 (a) of the State Corporations (National Cybersecurity Agency) Order, 2026, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander‑in‑Chief of the Defence Forces, appoint – Martin Koyabe (DR.) to be the Non‑Executive Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the National Cybersecurity Agency, for a period of three (3) years, with effect from the 21st August, 2026.”
A Career Spanning Three Decades
Dr. Koyabe brings to the role more than 30 years of experience in information and communications technology (ICT), cybersecurity, telecommunications, digital transformation, research and development, policy, regulation, and legislation.
He currently serves as Senior Manager and Technical Lead at the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE) in The Hague, Netherlands, where he has been instrumental in designing and implementing cyber‑capacity‑building programmes across Africa. He is also the founder of MWK Consult, a technology start‑up based in London, United Kingdom.
His portfolio includes high‑profile projects involving African governments, international organisations, and development partners. Among his current assignments is the KPMG‑GFCE Technical Assistance Project for Togo, funded by the World Bank, which aims to strengthen regional cooperation on cyber resilience through the Centre for Coordination and Research in Cybersecurity.
He has also contributed to the African Union CSIRT/CERT formulation project, funded by LuxDev, focused on improving the security of Africa’s digital infrastructure, and recently led the AU‑GFCE Collaboration Project, backed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which seeks to enhance cyber‑capacity building and resilience across all 55 African Union member states. That project involved mapping existing cyber‑capacity initiatives, identifying gaps, bolstering regional cooperation, and creating knowledge‑sharing systems to help African countries strengthen their cybersecurity capabilities.
Previous Leadership Roles
Before joining the GFCE, Dr. Koyabe spent seven years as Head of the Technical Support & Consultancy Division at the Commonwealth Telecommunication Organisation in the UK. In that capacity, he managed ICT technical support and development assistance programmes for Commonwealth member states, working with governments on cybersecurity, cybercrime, cyber standards, broadband strategies, and the protection of critical information infrastructure.
Earlier, he served for a decade as Senior Researcher and Technical Lead at British Telecommunications (BT), where he contributed to major technology programmes, including BT’s 21st Century Next Generation Network. His work at BT also covered ICT security solutions, internet architecture, cybersecurity policy and strategies, as well as research on mitigating distributed denial‑of‑service attacks. He holds several patents in cybersecurity and telecommunications‑related technologies.
Gratitude and Diaspora Recognition
Following his appointment, Dr. Koyabe expressed his appreciation to President Ruto and acknowledged the broader significance of the decision.
“My gratitude to H.E. the President for the appointment, and more importantly for the recognition by the Kenya government of the valuable contribution the Kenyan Diaspora continues to make in leveraging the development of Kenya,” he said.
The appointment places Dr. Koyabe at the helm of the agency’s board at a critical time when Kenya is scaling up efforts to protect its digital infrastructure, combat cyber threats, and align with continental and global cybersecurity frameworks. The National Cybersecurity Agency, established under the recent State Corporations Order, is tasked with coordinating and strengthening the country’s cyber resilience, and the new chair’s extensive international experience is expected to drive strategic oversight and policy direction.
A Strategic Move for Digital Security
Analysts view the appointment as a signal of the government’s commitment to harnessing diaspora expertise for national development, particularly in the fast‑evolving field of cybersecurity. With Kenya increasingly digitising public services and the private sector expanding its online footprint, robust governance of cyber risks has become a national priority.
Dr. Koyabe is expected to assume his duties immediately, working with the board and management to advance the agency’s mandate of safeguarding Kenya’s digital space while fostering regional and international collaboration on cyber resilience.
