<div dir="ltr">I think we're getting confused between 'ownership' and 'management' and 'oversight'. The dot KE and dot UG tlds will always be owned by the governments of Kenya and Uganda respectively. It would be almost impossible for the governments to dispose of their ownership of the tlds and even if they did, ICANN would surely allow the government to take them back.<div><br></div><div>'Management' can be delegated to a private entity and this is what the discussion is really about. However, the 'management' is simply under the jurisdiction of the contract given to the manager which would be under Kenyan law in Kenya and Ugandan law in Uganda. It's really not much different than the GoK giving a contract to a private company to run a parking lot next to the parliament building. GoK can be sued within Kenyan courts for violating the contract but it's still under Kenyan law.</div><div><br></div><div>'Oversight' is the tricky issue of how the government intermediates its ownership with its desire for stewardship via good management of the resource that is beneficial to the country. This is where the board becomes critical and we must be concerned about its makeup. The goal of having a board is to get parliament and the executive branch farther away from an oversight role because they all know that this resource could really get devalued (which it already has).</div><div><br></div><div>I remain confident that smart minds will prevail and we'll get a multistakeholder governance model for the 'oversight' role in Kenya - and hopefully in Uganda too.</div><div><br></div><div>Cheers,</div><div>Adam</div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br clear="all"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div style="font-family:arial;font-size:small">--</div><div style="font-family:arial;font-size:small">Kili - Cloud for Africa: <a href="http://kili.io/" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">kili.io</a><br></div><div style="font-family:arial;font-size:small">Musings:<a href="https://twitter.com/varud" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank"> twitter.com/varud</a></div><div style="font-family:arial;font-size:small">More Musings: <a href="http://varud.com" target="_blank">varud.com</a></div><div style="font-family:arial;font-size:small">About Adam: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcnelson" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">www.linkedin.com/in/adamcnelson</a></div></div></div></div>
<br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Oct 15, 2014 at 11:16 AM, Ali Hussein via kictanet <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke" target="_blank">kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">Mwendwa<div><br></div><div>I think it's factually incorrect to say that Kenya looks to take .ke private. I think the idea is to move it from the current status where the regulator also sits on the board and directs the way KeNIC operates to its rightful regulatory role.</div><div><br></div><div>Of course I stand corrected on my assertions above.</div><div><br></div><div>The .UG issue brings out again the earlier discussions. The main one being whether the new KeNIC would be Multi-Stakeholder based or it would move to a status where one stakeholder at the exclusion of others takes over. That in my humble opinion would be unacceptable and the community should resist it with all its got.</div><div><br></div><div>Regards</div><div><br></div><div>Ali Hussein <div><div class="h5"><br><br>On Wednesday, 15 October 2014, Mwendwa Kivuva via isoc <<a href="mailto:isoc@lists.my.co.ke" target="_blank">isoc@lists.my.co.ke</a>> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div>Uganda seems to want to go the .<span>KE</span> way (public ownership), while .<span>KE</span> wants to go the .<span>UG</span> way (private ownership). Are there any lessons the two registries can learn from each other?<br><br><br><a href="http://www" target="_blank">http://www</a>.<span>newvision</span>.co.<span>ug</span>/news/368-blogger-the-<span>ug</span>-debate-is-<span>redelegation</span>-necessary.<span>aspx</span><br><br><strong>There has been a lot said about the .<span>ug</span> <span>ccTLD</span> (Country Code
Top Level Domain) management over the years and by the look of things we
seem to be reaching the peak of this debate. </strong></div>
<div> </div>
<div>Legislators have been drawn into the debate and judging from what
we hear them say, there is definitely a lot of misinformation going on.
There is cause for concern when one comes across news headlines like, “A
Private Firm Owns Uganda's Internet Domain Name” and MP <span>Taaka's</span> query
that “Is Uganda safe considering that .<span>UG</span> as a domain name is privately
owned?”</div>
<div> </div>
<div>For starters, a <span>ccTLD</span> is a two letter domain name extension that
corresponds to a country (.<span>ke</span> – Kenya, .<span>tz</span> – Tanzania, .<span>rw</span> – Rwanda, .<span>uk</span>
– United Kingdom) , territory or geographic location. So, to make
things clear, .<span>ug</span> isn't a domain name as is being insinuated in the
discussions going on in the august house. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>In the early 1990s at the start of the globalised <span>internet</span> age,
<span>ccTLDs</span> were issued to various countries and for those that never had the
capacity to manage them, help came from <span>ICANN</span> through various agencies.
Uganda was one of those countries that never had the capacity and <a href="http://www.internethalloffame.org/inductees/randy-bush" target="_blank">Randy Bush</a> an Internet Pioneer and founder of the <a href="http://www.nsrc.org" target="_blank">Network <span>Startup</span> Resource Centre (<span>NSRC</span>)</a>
volunteered to carry out the technical management of the .<span>ug</span> <span>ccTLD</span>.
Around the same period, a then youthful and ambitious Ugandan Engineer, <a href="http://ug.linkedin.com/in/charlesi3c" target="_blank">Charles <span>Musisi</span></a>
had picked a lot of interest in the nascent <span>internet</span> technologies of
the times. His interest led him to set up the first email service in
Uganda (FIDO-NET) and as well join a group of <span>internet</span> pioneers on the
African continent. This interest and exposure led him to pick interest
in the management of the .<span>ug</span> <span>ccTLD</span> as far back as the mid 1990s. On
application, he was assigned the administrative rights and Randy Bush
continued to offer the technical management support as Charles' company
then, Uganda Online (now called Infinity Computers and Communications
Company Ltd - i3C) started developing local capacity to do the same.
Eventually, he was able to wean off Randy Bush's support and his company
took over full technical and administrative management of the <span>ccTLD</span>.
Did he buy the .<span>ug</span> <span>ccTLD</span> as is alleged? NO. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>Around the same time, his colleagues in Kenya and Tanzania also
undertook management of their countries' <span>ccTLDs</span> albeit with mixed
results. Dr. Shem <span>Ochuodho</span> was eventually booted out of .<span>ke</span> <span>ccTLD</span>
Management having failed to perform to the expectations of the community
which led to the set up of <a href="http://www.kenic.or.ke" target="_blank"><span>KENIC</span></a>.
It is worth noting that Uganda Online was able to successfully
commercialise the management of the .<span>ug</span> <span>ccTLD</span> and this is evidenced by
the fact that the <span>ccTLD</span> has operated in a stable environment over the
years without seeking any financial aid.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>However, like anything, change in the <span>internet</span> landscape will
always necessitate changes in the supporting technologies and services.
Currently, there has been a significant growth in the state's interest
in <span>ICT</span> infrastructure and services provision. This has seen the country
undertake numerous interventions like the roll out of the National Fibre
Backbone, promotion of the Business Process Outsourcing, e-Government
implementation among others. The .<span>ug</span> is also being looked at as one of
those services that are likely to help fill the puzzle of <span>ICT</span>
proliferation in Uganda. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>The Draft Policy Framework for the management of the .<span>ug</span> <span>ccTLD</span> has
as its major objective, “to <span>formalize</span> management of .<span>ug</span> Country Code Top
Level Domain Name and come up with a management framework that will
ensure transparency and greater accountability towards the Internet
community of Uganda and the rest of the Global Internet Community.”</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The current status-<span>quo</span> is characterised by:</div>
<div>•<span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>Efficient assignment of domain names</div>
<div>•<span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>Decent Support for technical issues</div>
<div>•<span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>Uniform domain registration costs</div>
<div>•<span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>Stable Domain Name System (<span>DNS</span>) services</div>
<div>It is clear that <a href="http://www.i3c.co.ug" target="_blank">i3C</a> is
performing well on the technical front and not much can be said in that
regard. However, as a private company, it has limitations on what can be
achieved especially if one asks the following questions;</div>
<div>1.<span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>What governance systems are in place for the .<span>ug</span> <span>ccTLD</span> as a national resource currently?</div>
<div>2.<span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>What policies and procedures are there for the issuance, renewal, and arbitration of domain related disputes?</div>
<div>3.<span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>If policies are present, who designed them and was there community participation?</div>
<div>4.<span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>What strategies are in place to promote the usage of .<span>ug</span> by nationals?</div>
<div>5.<span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>What
universal access measures are in place to ensure that various sections
of society aren't alienated on the basis of gender, rural/urban divides,
youth, disability among others?</div>
<div>6.<span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>What
measures are in place to ensure that the Government of Uganda (the
custodian of Uganda's resources on behalf of the people) actively
participates in influencing the direction of the .<span>ug</span> <span>ccTLD</span>?</div>
<div>7.<span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>What measures are in place to ensure that civil society can have its input/feedback into the .<span>ug</span> <span>ccTLD</span> management process?</div>
<div> </div>
<div>At the current pace, there are more gaps being created in the
overall .<span>ug</span> management and the earlier they are addressed, the better. A
quick look at the .<span>ke</span> <span>ccTLD</span>, one is able to get updated information on
how many domains that are registered and active, standing at 30,156
domains with a target of 33,800 domains by the close of 2014. Not only
is it hard to get accurate information on the number of domains
registered and active at the .<span>ug</span> <span>ccTLD</span> but the last time I got a whiff,
the estimate was 3000 domains and assuming the numbers have doubled
since then, our next door <span>neighbors</span> are definitely rounding us up five
times. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>For purposes of cross comparisons, this table reveals a couple of things;</div>
<div><input height="162" hspace="6" type="image" vspace="6" width="500"> </div>
<div>The Government of Uganda through the <a href="http://www.ict.go.ug" target="_blank">Ministry of <span>ICT</span></a>
has come out to crusade for the formation of the Uganda National
Information Centre (<span>ugNIC</span>) a not for profit company comprising of
representatives from government, Internet Service Providers, Civil
Society/<span>NGOs</span>, consumers, infrastructure providers, academia and the
business community. The <span>ugNIC</span> shall have the mandate to manage the
operations of the .<span>ug</span>.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>According to the outlined functions for the <span>ugNIC</span>, it is worth
noting that some issues were left out. It is vital that the company
created should also undertake;</div>
<div>•<span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>Marketing of the .<span>ug</span> <span>ccTLD</span> to win national <span>appeal</span></div>
<div>•<span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>Handling domain dispute resolution according to the set out guidelines and policies</div>
<div> </div>
<div>On the basis of this, it should therefore be clear that the following are mere myths:</div>
<div>1.<span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>That <a href="http://ug.linkedin.com/in/charlesi3c" target="_blank">Charles <span>Musisi</span></a> or his company <a href="http://www.i3c.co.ug" target="_blank">i3C</a> OWN the .<span>ug</span> <span>ccTLD</span></div>
<div>2.<span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>That the .<span>ug</span> <span>ccTLD</span> was assigned to a private company in bad faith.</div>
<div>3.<span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>That Government officials gave away the .<span>ug</span> <span>ccTLD</span> to a private entity.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>As an active member of the Internet Space in Uganda, some of the
reasons why I support the proposed changes in the .<span>ug</span> <span>ccTLD</span>
administration are;</div>
<div>•<span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>Increased public accountability of the .<span>ug</span> resource</div>
<div>•<span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>Increased community participation in determining the future of the .<span>ug</span> resource</div>
<div>•<span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>The
need to separate the Technical and Administrative management of the .<span>ug</span>
resource. While i3C may have performed well handling the Technical
aspects, it has fallen short on the Administrative front.</div>
<div>•<span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>The lack of a well <span>incentivised</span> reseller programme has greatly hindered the promotion of the .<span>ug</span> <span>ccTLD</span> locally.</div>
<div>•<span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>The need for serious promotion and marketing of the .<span>ug</span> <span>ccTLD</span></div>
<div>•<span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>Opportunity for using Government resources to <span>upskill</span> the technical managers of the .<span>ug</span> <span>ccTLD</span>.</div>
<div>•<span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>Having witnessed companies fold, what happens if i3C closed shop out of the blue? It happened to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enron" target="_blank"><span>Enron</span></a>
(One of the largest energy companies in the world during the last
century). Risking the .<span>ug</span> <span>ccTLD</span> resource to this level can have a
massive impact on the nation in case such a scenario plays out.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>As the Ugandan Internet community, we need to be careful to avoid
the misinformation that is flying around and also ensure that we lend
our support in a manner that will put national benefit at the forefront
while not forgetting the patriotic work people like <a href="http://ug.linkedin.com/in/charlesi3c" target="_blank">Engineer Charles <span>Musisi</span></a> have rendered this nation in the past.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/wirejames" target="_blank">@<span>wirejames</span></a></div>
<div>Email: <span>lunghabo</span> [at] gmail [dot] <span>com</span></div><div><div dir="ltr">______________________<br><span>Mwendwa</span> <span>Kivuva</span>, Nairobi, Kenya<br><a href="http://twitter.com/lordmwesh" target="_blank">twitter.com/<span>lordmwesh</span></a><br><br><div><span style="color:rgb(41,47,51);font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;line-height:22px;white-space:pre-wrap">"There are some men who lift the age they inhabit, till all men walk on higher ground in that lifetime." - Maxwell <span>Anderson</span></span><br></div></div></div>
</div>
</blockquote></div></div></div><span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888"><br><br>-- <br>Ali Hussein<p>Sent from Gmail Mobile<br></p>
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