Kenya Internet Governance Forum (Kenya IGF) 2019
Panafric Hotel, Nairobi, 1 August 2019
One Kenya. One Net. One Vision.
1.0 About the Internet Governance Forum (IGF)
The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is an open and inclusive multi-stakeholder forum where public policy issues related to key elements of Internet governance, such as the Internet’s sustainability, robustness, security, stability and development. The United Nations Secretary-General formally announced the establishment of the IGF in July 2006 and the first meeting was convened in October 2006.
The purpose of the IGF is to maximize the opportunity for open and inclusive dialogue and the exchange of ideas on Internet Governance (IG) related issues; create opportunities to share best practices and experiences; identify emerging issues and bring them to the attention of the relevant bodies and the general public; and contribute to capacity building for Internet governance.
The event brings together stakeholders representing government, the private sector, civil society, the technical and academic community, media and the public in an informal setting for policy dialogue on Internet governance issues on an equal basis through an open and inclusive process. This type of cooperative engagement is usually referred to as the multistakeholder model of Internet Governance, which is one of the key features for the Internet’s success. This model is paramount to ensure that the Internet remains sustainable for economic and social development.
The forums are localised and their outcomes feed into each other from country to sub-regional then regional level finally culminating in a report that is presented at the global level. The outcomes of the country level (Kenya IGF) feed into the regional level (East Africa IGF), continental level (Africa IGF) and ultimately at the global level (IGF). Previously, Kenya hosted the East Africa IGF in 2009 and thereafter, the global IGF in 2011 in Nairobi.
This year, the 14th Annual Global IGF Meeting convened by the United Nations, will be hosted by the Government of Germany and is scheduled to take place from 25 – 29 November 2019 in Berlin.
2.0 State of ICT in Kenya
According to the Communications Authority, by December 2018, Kenya had 49.5 million mobile subscribers; 31.6 million mobile money subscribers who made 787 million transactions valued at 2.1 trillion between October – December 2018. During the same period the internet data subscriptions stood at 45.7 million while the number of broadband subscriptions stood at 21.9 million. Kenya’s current international Internet bandwidth available in the country (Lit/equip capacity) stands at to 4,605 Gbps. Further, according to the Kenya Network Information Centre (KENIC) the total number of domains stood at 83,646 with “.co.ke” recording 71,842 domains and “.go.ke” recording 461 domains as at September 2018. Moreover, during the period, the National KE-CIRT/CC recorded 10.2 million cyber threats and issued 12,197 cyber threat advisories to affected organizations.
More importantly, ICT contributes significantly to Kenya’s economy. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) 2018 Economic Survey, ICT has transformed society and has spurred the economy by offering services through online platforms whether in the provision of government services, business and e-commerce, research and transfer of knowledge, and so on. As evidenced from the above statistics, growth of the digital economy which includes; mobile telephony, uptake of e-commerce and penetration of internet have led to the value of ICT output in the economy increasing by 12.9% from KSh 345.1 billion in 2017 to 390.2 billion in 2018.
3.0 Kenya IGF
Given the foregoing, the importance of the internet to the development of the country cannot be gainsaid. Modelled on the IGF structure and principles, the Kenya IGF therefore, is a unique platform for all stakeholders to openly share perspectives and concerns on the key issues that may affect the future of the Internet users in the country and across the globe in general.
KICTAnet in partnership with Industry stakeholders, convenes and organizing the Kenya IGF. This has been the tradition since the 1st edition of the Kenya IGF, which was held in 2008. The Kenya IGF has been hosted and convened by KICTAnet in every successive year since then. This year commemorates the 12th Edition of Kenya IGF. In 2018, the event was attended by close to 250 participants from across the country and a similar number is expected this year. The outcomes of the Kenya IGF will feed into the African IGF and Global IGF later this year.
The Kenya IGF 2019 shall be held on 1 August 2019 at the Panafric Hotel in Nairobi.
KICTAnet works with partners and sponsors to make the event a success. The willingness of the various organization to partner and support the event is an indication of their commitment to the development and growth of the internet in Kenya.
4.0 Theme
The theme for this year’s IGF will be “One Kenya. One Net. One Vision.”.
The sub-themes prioritized for discussion which will help in framing the discussions are:
- Data Governance – This session will provide for discussions on the fundamental challenge of ensuring the benefits of the data revolution to contribute to inclusive economic development while protecting the rights of people.
- Digital Inclusion – This session aims to provide a framework for assessing and considering the various elements and policies which can improve access to equitable opportunities in a digital age. Digital inclusion is about having the right access, skills, motivation and trust to confidently go online.
- Security, Stability, Safety and Resilience – This session will review potential risks to security and safety will be discussed from various angles with due consideration to how stability and resilience can be achieved. Strategies for protection of both systems and users will be addressed, taking into account a multidisciplinary perspective to potential solutions and the importance of stakeholder collaboration for responding to the growing range of threats to the global Internet and its users.
5.0 Expected Outcomes
The main outcome of the Kenya IGF is to maximize opportunities for open and inclusive dialogue and the exchange of ideas on Internet Governance (IG) related issues. Others include:
- Creation of opportunities to share best practices and experiences;
- Identification of emerging issues and bringing them to the attention of the relevant bodies and the general public; and,
- Contribution to capacity building for Internet governance.
6.0 Participants
The participants will consist of 200 individuals representing various sectors including government, the private sector, civil society, the technical and academic community, and the general public.
Further, the Kenya IGF will feature an award ceremony for the 40 participants of the 4th edition of the Kenya School of Internet Governance (KESIG) which shall be held on 29 – 31 July 2019. The School is an initiative of KICTAnet and other partners, to promote awareness and knowledge of stakeholders in Kenya to enable them to contribute actively to Internet Governance. Also, the event will feature the participation of young people who will attend the Youth IGF.
7.0 Methodology
The format of the Forum will include:
- Thematic moderated online discussion prior to the face to face meeting
- Thematic moderated panel session
- Moderated plenary discussions
- Talk to, dialogue event.
Registration for the event will start at 8.30am on the material day and the discussions will run 9am-5pm. A networking lunch and coffee breaks will be provided. It is also expected that a fireside event (evening panel session) will take place followed by a networking cocktail. The event is free to attend.
Official Programme – 1 August 2019
| Time | Agenda | Moderator |
| 8:00 – 8:30 am | Arrival and Registration | KICTAnet MAG Team |
| Welcome and Introductions | Conference Moderator: Barrack Otieno | |
| 8:30 – 9:00 am | Opening Remarks, Grace Githaiga, Convenor, KICTAnet Kui Kinyanjui, Safaricom Head of Regulatory and Public Policy , Safaricom Representative, Facebook | Moderator: Grace Githaiga |
| 9:00 – 9:30 am | Keynote Speech, Francis Wangusi, Director-General, Communications Authority (CA) |
| 9:30 – 10:30 am | Data Governance Panel Hon. Abshiro Halake, Vice-Chair, Senate ICT CommitteeHon. William Kisang’, Chair, National Assembly ICT Committee John Walubengo, Multimedia University & Taskforce on Personal Data Stephen Kiptiness, KO Associates & KENIC Board Member Phillip Thigo, Technical Advisor for Data, Innovations and Open Government, Office of the Deputy President | Moderator: John Walubengo Session Questions Do individuals have the right to determine their own digital identity? To what extent can legal and regulatory frameworks ensure ethical practices in the use of new technologies? Should the government or business trade in personal/public data? How should we deal with transborder data flows e.g. cloud services and e-commerce, while respecting rights? How do the proposed regulatory frameworks ensure the different stakeholders involved e.g. OTTs are held accountable? What are the best practices that we can adopt to protect consumers? |
| 10:30 – 11:00 am | Plenary Session | |
| 11:00 – 11:30 am | Tea Break |
| 11:30 – 12:30 pm | Session 2: Security, Stability, Safety and Resilience Panel Joseph Nzano, Communications Authority / KE-CIRT Raymond Bett, President, ISACA Kenya . Aprielle Moraa, CEO Infosphere Limited & ISACA Kenya Board Member Sheetal Kumar, Global Partners Digital | Moderator: Victor Kapiyo Session Questions What are our current challenges? How can we strengthen cooperation and collaboration in Cybersecurity and responses to Cyberattacks? What regulatory and technical approaches do we need to put in place to ensure online safety for women, children and all vulnerable groups? How can we develop rights-respecting standards for acceptable content online? What are the emerging best practices to ensure the safety of consumers? |
| 12:30 – 1:00 pm | Plenary | |
| 1:00 – 2:00 pm | Lunch Break |
| 2:00 – 2:30 pm | Session 3: Youth IGF Panel Panel Youth representatives from Schools | Moderator: Lillian Kariuki, Watoto Watch Network Session Questions Feedback on Data governance Feedback on Digital Inclusion Feedback on Emerging Issues on Child Online Safety |
| 2:30 – 3:30 pm | Session 4: Digital Inclusion Panel Paul Kiage, Communications Authority Nivi Sharma, BRCK Ben Roberts, CTO, Liquid Telecom Judy Okite, CIPESA Josephine Miliza, Community Networks Project, KICTANet Alfred Mugambi, Senior Manager, Regulatory Economics and Compliance. | Moderator: Thomas Kaberi Session Questions How can we tackle access, affordability, and QoS issues, and what improvements should be made? How can we promote better Internet access, including for disadvantaged groups? How can we promote digital literacy? How do we ensure that Internet governance processes are truly inclusive? How can we equip the public e.g. youth and graduates to take advantage of the new opportunities e.g. jobs in the digital transformation? |
| 3:30 – 4:00 pm | Plenary Session |
| 4:00 – 4:30 pm | Actions Points and Way Forward Rapporteurs Summary | Rapporteur |
| 4:30 – 4:45 pm | Kenya School of Internet Governance Award Ceremony | Grace Bomu, KICTANet |
| 4:45 – 5:00 pm | Vote of thanks | KIGF MAG, KICTANet |
| 5:00 – | Tea Break | |
| 5:00 – 6:00 pm | Networking Session |
| FIRESIDE CHAT |
| 6:00 7:00 pm | Session 5: One Kenya. One Net. One Vision Karimi Ruria, Senior Manager, Public Policy, Safaricom Hon. Michael Onyango, fmr ICT CEC, Kisumu County & AfricaCreative Lab Dr. Wairagala Wakabi, CIPESA Prof. Bitange Ndemo Berhan Taye, Access Now | Moderator: Ali Hussein The session will consolidate the day’s discussions with a view to identifying what Kenya needs to do to achieve the conference theme, based on the three thematic areas and informed by the experiences and lessons from the region and international best practices. |
| Closing of KIGF Week 2019 | ||
| Networking / Drinks and Bites Departure |