Players in the telecommunications service industry are raising concerns over Kenya's proposal to change management of Kenya Network Information Centre (Kenic), the .ke domain manager.
The .ke domain registry has two guarantor shareholders, the industry lobby group Telecommunications Service Providers Association of Kenya (TESPOK) and Communications Authority of Kenya (formerly CCK).
CAK has already delinked itself from Kenic setting stage for licensing of a new body that will manage and administer the country’s Internet addresses system.
Previously, CCK was among the seven organisations that constituted Kenic’s board. However, it cannot continue to be on the board and at the same time play its oversight role.
Francis Wangusi, director general of CAK, said the authority cannot continue to be on the board and at the same time play its oversight role.
While lauding the move to have the regulator step down from the board of the domain manager there is a need to ensure smooth institutional transition and service delivery.
The association through its Chairman Mr. Kris Senanu says the CAK should not feel that they can proceed to change the operations of the organisation without due consultations.
The official proposed structure is currently open for public input and consultations; a process expected to close on 10th February 2014.
Mr. Senamu said at no point has the CAK communicated to TESPOK the other partner in this arrangement on the proposal to commercialise .ke as recently announced.
“If CAK attempt to take the commercialisation approach without due consideration of TESPOK, we will have no choice but put ICANN on notice that any attempt at re-delegation does not have the support of the industry or any of the stakeholders...we have no problem with CAK proposing another government entity to take up the government involvement but will not support commercialization," said Mr. Senanu.
“Over time, the domain name management and administration on voluntary basis became impractical. Hence, the need for CAK to delink itself from Kenic and license a new multi-stakeholders body that will manage the dot KE domain,” said Mr Wangusi.
According to Mr Wangusi, CAK is relying on section 83F of the Kenya Information and Communications Act to license a new body to manage and administer the dot KE addresses.
The Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (the ICANN), as part of the administrative functions associated with management of the domain-name system root, is responsible for receiving requests for delegation and re-delegation of top-level domains, investigating the circumstances pertinent to those requests, and reporting on the requests.
In May 2000, a group of Kenyan Internet stakeholders led by TESPOK launched an initiative to form a participatory, community-based non-profit organization located in Kenya to manage both the administrative and technical aspects of the .ke ccTLD registry.
Kenic was formally created in 2002 with the responsibility of managing the dot KE country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) name space.
"Over the last five years interference of CCK in the day to day operations of KENIC has seen the organization experience unprecedented turnover of both Board and staff; with 5 CEO changes," said Senanu.
He said it is important for CAK to give the .ke ccTLD manager opportunity to deliver on agreed key deliverables that have not been met in the last five years instead of commercializing it.
In a statement, Mr Senanu said TESPOK has both the technical and administrative resources necessary to continue as a sole guarantor of the ccTLD if and when CAK pulls out.
