Determination, countless sleepless nights, and a lifetime passion for IT have paid off. Kay Kambanja, Information Technology (IT) Manager, has recently graduated with distinction, earning a Master of Science in IT Security Management from Arden University (United Kingdom).
In this Q&A, Kay reflects on his journey and shares lessons from the experience.
1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself – academic background, love for IT, journey with Council, and what your day-to-day job entails as IT Manager?
I joined NBCRFLI in August 2005. By then, I was holding a diploma as a registered (Licentiate) member of the Chartered Institute for IT Professionals in the UK (previously known as the Institute for the Management of Information Systems - IMIS). Thereafter, I realised that IT was a calling for me after attaining various qualifications in IT management, service, governance, security, project management and Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence.
My day-to-day responsibilities are:
- Finance - monitor IT expenditure against the budget, and financial forecasting.
- Customers and stakeholder management - ensure business needs and IT service delivery are aligned.
- Internal Business Processes – service provider performance management and IT risk management and compliance.
- Cyber security user awareness training for end-users.
Just to mention a few.
2. What inspired you to study further and to focus on IT Security Management?
One thing that inspired me the most to pursue IT Security management was to gain an in-depth understanding of IT security management, since it is in line with Council's ICT Operational Risk Management, as one of my IT portfolio deliverables in my KPAs.
Moreover, my KPAs portfolio includes most of the modules in the Arden University programme, hence I thought I could make it a formalised and toiler made masters qualification backing my experience as well as the responsibilities that I am entrusted with at Council (in a nutshell, I wanted to specialise in IT security management) other than a fragmented approach, where qualifications are obtained from various learning institutions.
I successfully enrolled in the Master of Science programme in February 2022 and completed it in March 2025.
3. What is IT Security Management (what key skills have you learned during your studies that you will implement at Council)?
IT Security Management is the strategic process of identifying, managing, and mitigating risks to an organisation's digital assets, systems and data. It primarily involves establishing organisational policies, procedures, and technical controls to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and availability. It protects the organisation against internal and external threats.
The key skills learned from this programme are:
- Information Security Strategy Development (ISSD)
- IT Security Management
- IT Governance
- IT Risk Management
- Cloud Computing Security Techniques and Tactics
4. Tell us about your academic journey – balancing work, family, and studies?
Balancing work, family, and studies (distance learning) requires a strict, realistic routine. This is how I managed my time:
- I set specific times for studying, like either early in the mornings when working from home or late evenings when working from the office.
- I kept my team and family informed when I was having a session (one-on-one) with my supervisor or ad hoc catch-up sessions.
- To avoid burnout, I had scheduled breaks to take some coffee or catch some fresh air, especially when I was working from home over the weekend.
5. How do you feel about finally graduating?
Having graduated with a distinction, I feel reassured that my dream has come true: specializing in a single IT Security Management stream rather than wanting to be a master of all trades. This was truly a thirty-six-month journey worthy of celebration after countless sleepless nights and the anxiety about what the outcome would be.
6. What advice would you give to colleagues considering further studies?
“Where there is a will, there is always a way.”
My advice to my colleagues and the NBCRFLI IT team is: “Where there is a will, there is always a way.” I am available if anyone needs help or guidance within the IT Security Management space. Therefore, I kindly ask you to register for any programme this coming FY2027 bursary period, and you can be assured of my participation/support in your programme, where possible.
7. Now that you've graduated, what's next for you?
My focus will be on ensuring that the NBCRFLI is on par with Technology Trends Monitoring to stay up to date with new technologies, by embarking on short-term programs in Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence for IT Security Management.