Budapest Accession Preparations Team Preliminary Meeting

On 26th November 2024, NC4 organized a preliminary meeting for the Budapest Accession Preparations Team. The team was established to guide the process of Kenya’s accession to the Budapest Convention. The meeting aimed to outline the requirements for acceding to the Convention after Kenya received an official invitation from the Council of Europe to join the Signatories.

The Convention, a legally binding treaty, was established in 2001 by the Council of Europe and has been signed by 76 countries globally, including the United Kingdom (UK), United States of America (USA), Canada, Israel, Finland, Estonia, Ghana, Nigeria, and Mauritius, among others. It primarily focuses on the criminalization of specific cybercrime offences such as illegal access, system interference, computer-related fraud, and child sexual abuse; procedural powers to address cybercrimes; and international cooperation by offering a progressive framework for cross-border access to electronic evidence.

The team, set up by the State Department of Internal Security and National Administration (IS & NA), is responsible for advising the government and implementing the processes required for Kenya to accede to the Convention within the five-year timeline given by the Council of Europe. Through this initiative, Kenya will join other countries in global efforts to combat cybercrime and contribute to building a secure cyberspace for socio-economic prosperity.