My motivation to take a master of science in computer security in university of manchester

My name is Enock Kemboi, I am 23 years old. I was born in Emining, Baringo County in Kenya (Africa). When I was in primary school, some non-governmental organization donated computers to our school, this was the day I fell in love with computer systems. Every time I would want to get into the computer lab to use the machines. In secondary school I took computer studies as my technical subject, after high school I pursued my Bachelor’s degree in Information Communication Technology at the Technical University of Mombasa. In University I took Information systems audit, cryptography & network security among other units, I really enjoyed them and thought of making cyber security my core profession. There are a variety of things that I want to achieve, which motivate me to apply for this particular program.

In 2017, the Kenyan presidential election results were nullified by the Supreme Court of Kenya, simply because voter identification and results transmission done electronically could not pass the test of authenticity, at that time I was working as the constituency ICT clerk for the electoral body IEBC. There were claims that the server was hacked though it was not clearly proven by the court. In 2014, at Kenya Pipeline Company Limited I suggested the use of encryption software on staff and office computers to protect data from unauthorized access, since the use of windows and domain password could not guarantee full protection.

I am passionate about taking Master of Science in Computer Security in University of Manchester, one of the few leading universities in the entire planet that offer this program. I intend to gain more knowledge on digital forensics, cryptography, protection of data, networks and other IT infrastructure. I am also ready to learn more from a tech-savvy government that took nearly all its services online more than a decade ago and the European leaders in the global cyber security index. My bachelor’s degree project was based on online campus voting system in php language and MySQL database. It is fully functional and I am still working on improving this particular project.

My professional goal is to get back to Kenya with sufficient knowledge on how we can control and detect tax fraud, conduct a successful online general elections, which would not be nullified to save billions of taxpayers’ money. Information security is one of the most lucrative careers in both private and government sectors, this is because of the high demand caused by the growing number of cyber-attacks, thus the need for expertise in defensive techniques against cyber threats.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your positive response.