KeNIC, in conjunction with the Africa Top Level Domains Organization (AfTLD), the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), and the Internet Society Kenya (ISOC), hosted the first-ever virtual Kenya DNS Forum on the 22nd of July 2021. The Forum brought together DNS ecosystem stakeholders to discuss current concerns and ways to help the .KE domain thrive going forward. KeNIC is amongst 5 registries in Africa to host a national DNS forum.
This insightful, engaging discussion was conducted in 4 plenary sessions led by key government representatives and ICT stakeholders, as well as regional and global registry representatives. The four sessions covered:
● The state of the ICT industry in Kenya
● Emerging trends in the DNS industry
● How registries are adapting to these emerging DNS trends
● The future of the DNS Ecosystem in Kenya
A key point of discussion throughout the Forum was the uptake of the .KE domain name in the country. Despite Kenya having around 2 million registered businesses, there are only around 100,000 .KE domain names registered. One of the resolutions to address this was that going forward the government will promote the adoption and use of the .KE domain name and set up the frameworks needed to ensure that Kenyan goods and services are of quality and in high demand globally. Furthermore, it was agreed that the Communications Authority of Kenya, KeNIC and other stakeholders will take measures to proactively promote the dot KE domain.
Speaking during the Forum, Geoffrey Shimanyula (KeNIC Board Chair), said “We are also looking at the registrar of companies and businesses to also register a domain as they register businesses.”
The Forum also established how the DNS ecosystem plays a critical role in the global economy – the digital economy is worth $11.5 trillion globally, equivalent to 15.5 percent of global GDP. DNS resilience is important in ensuring businesses remain online despite the ever present global cyber threats. This is especially crucial in light of how the COVID-19 pandemic altered consumer behaviour and accelerated the adoption of digital technology.
Digital transformation is here to stay, it is no longer optional even for SMEs to have a digital presence. The enabler of this digital transformation is a .KE domain name. As a brand, .KE helps Kenyan citizens build trust with brands online. In the words of Bob Ochieng (ICANN), “.KE is as good a Kenyan flag as +254.”
You can watch all the sessions from this crucial DNS ecosystem discussion on: https://youtu.be/DKcQxyJeaWE