The Kenyan Ministry of Interior and National Co-ordination wants CCTVS cameras placed across the country and that the ministry be given direct access for monitoring.
The Ministry has issued a new CCTV policy that is set to ensure all institutions, businesses and facilities within public areas are covered by CCTV systems and that the State will be allowed to directly monitor by collecting raw footage quarterly and annually of all activities in these facilities.
The Ministry is set to table the policy with the Cabinet and then require public participation before being taken to Parliament.
People Daily reports that the installation, operation and management of CCTV systems will be part of a multi-agency approach by the Government to curb crime and improve public safety.
The publication says that the policy has been developed by reports from the multi-agency submissions and desk researchers, draft CCTV policy for KEBS and the draft CCTV Policy of the State Department of Universities.
The CCTV Policy is meant to guide the installation, operation and management of all CCTV systems in public and private premises. This will also include the registration of all installed CCTVs that should be operated in compliance with this policy.
The policy adds that all CCTV system audits and submission of reports shall be done quarterly at the county level through the County Security and Intelligence Committee and annually at the national level
Failure to observe the policy risks business closure, fines or jail sentence.
The Ministry of Interior will be in charge of regularly auditing the installation and management of the cameras.
According to the policy, CCTV systems that transverse more than one county will be vetted before being registered by the Interior ministry for easy audits and access by State security agencies.
Here are the rest of the guidelines under the CCTV Policy:
- Access to the system and recorded images will be controlled to prevent tampering or unauthorised viewing.
- CCTV systems should be sited in such a way that they monitor areas intended to be covered by the system.
- It’s a crime to install CCTV covering restricted areas, which include police stations, Statehouses and military camps among others.
- The CCTV control equipment must be housed within a secure area and be protected using a secure validation process, e.g. a password, or electronic key, to avoid unauthorized access to the system.
- All CCTV footage must be disclosed for carrying out a formal investigation.
- Owners and operators will ensure that their systems operate 24-hours a day, seven days a week, and report all security-related incidents captured by the cameras to the relevant security authorities.
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