31 July, 2015, Nairobi – The 8th Kenya Internet Governance Forum (KIGF) was organized by Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) in cooperation with Kenya Network Information Center (KENIC), Telecommunications Association of Kenya (Tespok) and UNESCO.

The forum provided stakeholders including the government, private sector, civil society, academia and civil society with an opportunity to exchange information and increase their understanding of ICT and issues pertaining to internet Governance. Over 120 participants took part in the forum where experts from their respective fields discussed on the concept of multi-stakeholder cooperation in building inclusive knowledge societies, cyber-security, internet economy and Internet governance that are all pertinent to the proliferation of socio-economic, political, cultural development for Kenya.

On behalf of the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of ICT, Mr. Victor Kyalo, CEO, Kenya ICT Authority, in his opening remarks, emphasized the need to support the on-going discussions and collaborative framework on Internet governance in Kenya. He particularly encouraged the Internet community to engage more and advocated for multi-stakeholder cooperation that can reflect the voices and needs of civil society in Internet policy dialogues.

Ms. Grace Githaiga, KICTANet, also underlined the importance of inclusive multi-stakeholder cooperation and commended the role of civil society as a forefront of internet policy making. In support of a more accessible internet, the emphasis was raised to make internet reachable to all citizens by improving the reach and costs of communications infrastructure.

Mr. Stephen Chege, Director of Corporate Affairs, Safaricom, introduced its corporate policy that safeguards and protects its online users. During the forum, he also advocated for the establishment of legal framework that can protect children from unethical and potentially harmful online contents. Furthermore, Mr. Chege commented on issues of Internet neutrality and open access resources. In support of the generation and sharing of information and knowledge, particular emphasis was made on publicly funded research projects (consisting of scientific journals and datasets of various kinds) in allowing them to be accessed freely online.

Issue of cyber security was another key topic covered during the KIGF. Initiatives in dealing with cyber threats were discussed requiring laws, regulations and policies that can help protect free flow of information. Kenya has worked towards providing guidance to address issues arising from the gaps between different security domains in the cyberspace environment while at the same time providing an infrastructure for collaboration.

Ms. Riva Jalipa from Article 19 also echoed her remarks on cyber security and cyber-crimes. In dealing with crimes involving technology, the Kenyan Government and the private sector should employ current technologies and incorporate them in the fighting cyber-crime.

The outcome of KIGF Kenya will lead into the East Africa IGF forum that will take place in September, 2015. UNESCO acknowledges the potential of the Internet for fostering sustainable human development and building more democratic societies, and also for enhancing the free flow of information and ideas throughout the world.

UNESCO and IGF

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) resulted in the creation of the multistakeholders Internet Governance Forum – an annual forum in which international agencies, governments, Internet professionals, business and civil society organizations can explore, on equal footing, the development on the Internet and its interaction with other area of public policy.