[kictanet] the legacy of ICANN in Kenya - my take

[muriuki mureithi]

Hi Listers 

 

After an  attempt that aborted in 2008, ICANN came  full throttle  into
Nairobi  and after 6 action packed days it was time to  park the bags and
leave- they did and they are gone heading for Brussels!

 

Will Nairobi be remembered  or put it differently will Nairobi  remember
ICANN. What's the impact both ways? My take is that the  impact was both
ways - Nairobi provided a fertile  ground for Board action and  ICANN event
affirmed the local ICT sector   and raised high to a pedestal  for the world
to see.

 

Nairobi was a watershed for gTLDs .  Being held  in a developing  country,
it provided a fertile  groundswell for   consideration  that resulted in at
least two resolutions. EOI      was thrown  out by the Board for good reason
- the criteria would have worked against the developing countries and small
entities. This however is a short term reprieve and should only be a
breather. Nairobi also provided a fertile  moral ground  to persuade the
Board to pass a resolution supporting the formation of  a working group to
develop a sustainable approach to providing support to applicants requiring
assistance in applying for and operating new gTLDs. These  provide a
lifeline for  developing countries  to  participate meaningfully in the new
space to be unleashed by the new gTLDs. It is a challenge thrown to us.

 

ICANN more than affirmed the maturity of the ICT sector , the challenge is
to build on this . A large number of ICANNers did not come to Nairobi
courtesy of the mishandled security  issues. This was a blessing in disguise
for the  ICT sector. The scribes did their work, transcribing live from
California,  some board members, presenters , and other   participants
participated fully - no latency .  ICANN confirmed beyond doubt that our ICT
infrastructure is world class and beyond reproach. In the main conference
hall, I estimated over 200 devices all online and most streaming  and the
wireless internet speeds were incredible, the cellular networks were
incredible  and according to one staffer of ICANN,  bandwidth capacity and
quality was no different from any developed world country!!  He thought the
best thing should have been to stream the Carnivore Gala live to those who
didn't come. Our ICT system has come of age and fully confirmed by ICANN.
If scribes can sit in California  and do their thing ,  the converse is
true, we can offer first class scribing to world.  This is an item we should
shout loudly when marketing  the BPO sector  . Secondly, ICANN did official
business on audio and  video conferencing , is there any reason where we
should not aggressively use audio and video conferencing in government ,
private sector  and even social   engagements? 

 

Finally, ICANN provided a stepping stone  and great credentials to bring IGF
to kenya  next year . 

 

Media was caught unawares  and never could catch up with the biggest event
on internet that ever landed in Kenya . coverage of the opening day was a
whimper and subsequent   coverage tacked away  in obscure pages. 

 

Cheers 

Muriuki Mureithi

 

 

 

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