FACTORS INFLUENCING CYBERSECURITY READINESS IN DEPOSIT TAKING SAVINGS AND CREDIT COOPERATIVES: A CASE STUDY OF NAIROBI COUNTY
Nancy Nyawira Muraguri - Master of Information and Communication Technology Management, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya
Dr. Tobias Mwalili - Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya
Dr. Thomas Mose - Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya
ABSTRACT
Savings and credit cooperative societies in Kenya are riddled with cyber-attacks. Despite the warning on the increase in cyberattacks most of these SACCOs are not cyber ready this, therefore, raises doubts on their ability to keep customer data safe. The purpose of carrying out this study was to establish the factors that influence SACCO’s ability to detect, prevent and respond to threats. The aim of this study was to determine how factors such as staff training and awareness on cybersecurity, cybersecurity policies, top management support, and technical and logical controls influence cybersecurity readiness of deposit-taking SACCOs. This study focused on SACCOs within Nairobi County and the target population was the 40 deposit-taking SACCOs in Nairobi County. Respondents were obtained from the ICT department, top management, and customer service despartment of the SACCOs, the selection of the respondents was done randomly. The instruments that were used were self-administered questionnaires and a census of all the SACCOs was conducted. Secondary data was be obtained from SASRA’s reports and other relevant publications in referred journals. The collected data was coded and analyzed quantitatively (frequencies and percentages) as well as statistical inferential (regression analysis). This study also used the Pearson correlation and analysis of variance (ANOVA) to determine whether the independent variables had a combined effect on the dependent variable. The analyzed data was presented in tables, findings discussed, conclusions drawn, and policy implications outlined. The findings of the study revealed that there is a positive and significant correlation between staff training, top management support, technical and logical controls and cybersecurity readiness The study also concluded that effective training programs aimed to enlighten the staff on cybersecurity issues are an important ingredient for cybersecurity readiness in deposit-taking SACCOs. It was also concluded that an organization with efficient and updated cybersecurity policies are ready to handle all cybersecurity issues including preventing them from occurring and that top management needs to prioritize and enact policies that will protect the organization’s assets and they need to embody cybersecurity into their long-term strategy. The study recommended that more training programs are organized regularly; cybersecurity policies should be reviewed and updated regularly, and top management support and technical and logical controls should be maintained alongside other factors to enhance cybersecurity readiness.