By Nelly Nyadzua My nature has always been looking out for the welfare of people. I can describe myself as very empathetic. Having the career change, going into cybersecurity with backing in artificial intelligence, is a very technical path. But I felt there is a way I can give back to the community, and not enclose the knowledge to myself. I have been training on matters of digital security and how people can guard themselves from bad actors online. That wasn’t enough. The more I worked on projects, building models and securing systems, I noticed that the policies and regulations in place are not actualized to protect the consumer. Well, you can say everyone is out the to make a profit or all. This is how I embarked on my journey to data privacy and protection. In my research, I swam into oceans of documents, articles and a very huge lingua, that as a techie…., well let’s say wasn’t favourable to a layman. On top of online research, I networked, asked questions, explained my shortcomings as I sought an interpretation of laws, and that’s how I learnt of Kenya Internet Governance (KeSIG) school convened by Kenya ICT Network (KICTANet). That was in 2018. All this time, I thought KeSIG was an add-on certification course for lawyers, ha ha (laughing emoji). One day, in 2021, a friend challenged me to look into KeSIG course content. It was more than what I thought. The school explained to students matters of internet governance affecting Kenya, Africa and privacy laws in various countries in the World ( EU GDPR, Canada, Brazil and other countries). I found it fascinating that the coverage extended beyond legal issues to include current trends in technology, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity. I started attending the workshops held by KICTANet to sensitize citizens on digital policies and rights. In 2022, I applied to attend KeSIG and did not cut. Of course, I was heartbroken, but I didn’t lose hope. I continued to attend sensitization workshops and actively applied the skills I gained through training, advocacy on social media, and engaging with citizens. I also wrote articles on digital privacy and data governance. Additionally, I attended data privacy conferences, participated in the ISOC Kenya chapter, and joined ISACA this year. Fortunately for me, I applied for the 2023 intake and got selected! I am glad I worked on my end and talked to alumni of KeSIG in polishing my application. The classes came, WOW!!! They were intense. Talk about research! We had live classes, online module classes, class discussions and individual essays where you explained the daily topics in essays. The whole writing had me, but I came out victorious. We also had timed exams, that challenged our intellect. KeSIG is fire with a reason. I am grateful for how the faculty was always hands-on, ready to help, ready to explain and keep us in check with our daily deliverables. We also had industry key players coming to deliver sessions to us, and yes, we had to do articles on them, (smiley face). https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nelly-nyadzua_kesig-certificate-activity-7081642307090825216-Kjb9?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop I am fired up to churn out more content on advocacy on internet governance, confident in sitting and giving my opinions at tables that discuss internet governance in technology that affects me as a woman, a youth living in Africa. Today, I say thank you to all who made KeSIG 2023 a success, and if you are ever considering a starting point in internet governance, KeSIG is your step one. Nelly Nyadzua is a skilled and accomplished professional with a strong background in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity. She is an AWS Cloud Practitioner and AI Graduate Student. She is also a Cybersecurity 2022 Fellow and KeSIG 2023 Fellow.
KeSIG Shaping Kenya’s Internet Governance Ecosystem Through Capacity Building
By Judy Muriuki As an avid participant in the Internet ecosystem, I was fortunate to be selected as a fellow for the 7th cohort of the Kenya School of Internet Governance (KeSIG). KeSIG is a flagship program by the Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet). It was the 3rd virtual edition comprising 118 participants from around the region with varied backgrounds, but all passionate about being part of the Internet Governance (IG) conversation. Through the expertise of the school’s management, presentations by industry experts and the self-paced learning system, I gained knowledge that helped me to appreciate the stakeholders within Kenya’s IG ecosystem. Beyond giving me a broader context of the roles played by actors, I got a better understanding of the contribution made by both the private sector and civil society towards the policy-making process. This contribution was made clear when the president rejected the ICT Practitioners Bill in late June and asked parliament to consider concerns raised by practitioners (Nderitu, 2022). The final two weeks of the KeSIG course became busy for me. I was completing the self-paced learning from both the KeSIG and the Internet Society (ISOC) where I had enrolled for Internet Governance courses. Doing the studies concurrently turned out to be a significant advantage for me, as I was able to contextualise and compare concepts within the global, regional and local perspectives. The conversations on WhatsApp and, the platform’s chat forum was eye-opening and motivated me to complete the readings, assignments and quizzes. By the time the Kenyan IGF, themed Resilient Internet for a shared sustainable and common future, was taking place on Thursday 30th June; I was conversant with the conversations having a good grasp of the issues, actors and policies being discussed. My biggest takeaways from this training were: I would recommend internet users enrol in this program to better understand and participate in the internet conversation. In 2016, the UN declared that it considers the internet to be a human right. This was with an addition being made to Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” Section 32 adds “The promotion, protection and enjoyment of human rights on the Internet” and another 15 recommendations that cover the rights of those who work in and rely on Internet access. It also applies to women, girls, and those heavily impacted by the digital divide. As the world moves socially, politically and economically online, internet users need to understand the internet’s environment to better participate and protect themselves, their data and their networks. To continue engaging in the IG conversation around Kenya and globally, facilitators encouraged us to visit the following stakeholder websites and engage with industry stakeholders. The suggested links are below: Judy Muriuki is a digital content creator passionate about using ICT to improve the quality of life for its users, especially in Africamarginaliseded communities. Follow the writer on LinkedIn. References Nderitu, S. W. (2022, June 21). President Uhuru Kenyatta Declines to Sign ICT Bill, Sends It Back to Parliament. Tech Trends Ke. Retrieved July 7, 2022, from https://techtrendske.co.ke/president-uhuru-kenyatta-declines-to-sign-ict-bill-sends-it-back-to-parliament/
73 Students Inducted into Kenya School of Internet Governance 2023
Seventy-three students were inducted into the Kenya School of Internet Governance (KeSIG). The students will become the 8th cohort since the program\’s inception in 2016. The call for applications was announced in April with the selection process going through a rigorous selection process to arrive at a group of candidates that met the robust criteria outlined by the faculty. \”We have impacted over 450 participants who have gone through this course for the last eight years. I want to inform us that we had over 300 applications, and it is always a challenge (selecting) we had to come down to 70 this year, meaning that we have cut out approximately 230,\” Mr Barrack Otieno, from the faculty disclosed. \”It is always our desire to have as many as we can take on the call, but we have to ensure that we are able to give you the best that we can do.\” KeSIG is an introductory course covering technical, economic, legal and contemporary social issues brought about by the Internet and how they affect Kenyans in decision-making. The program aims to build a critical mass of individuals advocating for Internet rights and freedoms by equipping the participants with the skills needed to participate meaningfully in local, regional and global policy discourse. KeSIG is convened by Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet), a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. Grace Githaiga, the Co-Convenor of the Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet), said they successfully run KeSIG. \”I want to attribute the continuation and the success of KeSIG to the participants because they have gone out to speak well of KeSIG to demonstrate what they learned. The 2023 program commenced on 2nd June 2023 and will run over three weeks culminating with the Kenya Internet Governance Forum (KeIGF), Kenya’s premier Internet Policy event. KeIGF is an annual meeting that brings together various stakeholder groups to dialogue on ICT and Internet policy was first held in 2008. The 2023 theme is “The Internet We Want – Empowering All Kenyan People“
7th Kenya School of Internet Governance Session Kicks Off
The Kenya School of Internet Governance (KeSIG) virtual sessions began Friday. KeSIG is one of the Kenya ICT Action Network’s (KICTANet) capacity building programs that aims to promote diversity and inclusion in the country’s ICT policy dialogues and beyond. The program responds to the need and importance of ensuring inclusive cyber policy. It was established in 2015 to bring in stakeholders from different backgrounds and expertise such as human rights, fintech, technologists and lawmakers to participate in Kenya ICT policy development. The KESIG course was designed to take place over three weeks. Students take the first two weeks to go through the online modules. The course covers introduction to internet governance, pathways to internet governance and participation in the internet governance processes. The third week is reserved for practical interaction with internet governance players such as ICANN, KENIC, human rights organizations, private sector and policy makers through industry presentations. The students are also expected to attend the Kenya Internet Governance Forum (KIGF). The 2022 Cohort The 2022 cohort was drawn from a pool of 331 applications. The call for participation was targeted to individuals across the country interested in ICT policy and regulations. 118 applicants were selected ensuring gender, stakeholder and regional balance: Females (62), male (54), preferred not to say (1) and other (1). In terms of sectors, within the civil society organisations (14), academia (23), private sector (53), public sector (20) and from the media. The cohort also enjoys participation from the east African Countries, Uganda and Tanzania. In Kenya, they are spread across 47 counties including Meru, Kilifi, Nairobi, Marsabit, Nyandarua, and Kisii among others. Since its inception, KeSIG has expanded the Kenyan ICT policy dialogue space, promoting inclusive policies and collaboration between stakeholders in the ICT sector. The KESIG alumni are now spread over, both in the global and National ICT policy fields. The training has enabled proactive policy interventions in digital rights, Internet access, and sector developments such as in the finance, agriculture and healthcare industries. This year’s KeSIG is being supported by Meta. KICTANet expresses huge gratitude for all the current and previous supporters. About KICTANet KICTANet is a multistakeholder think tank for Information and communications technology policy formulation whose work spans Stakeholder engagement, capacity building, research, and policy advocacy. The network was established to promote an enabling environment in the ICT sector that is robust, open, accessible, and rights-based through multistakeholder approaches.
Kenya School of Internet Governance
KENYA SCHOOL OF INTERNET GOVERNANCE (KeSIG)Seventh Edition 17 – 30 June 2022Venue: Online via e-learning platform and webinars Objectives KeSIG’s mission is to increase the capacity of key actors and potential actors in the local internet governance space. These include traditional human rights defenders and civil society organizations, students, academia, the tech community, and government departments. These actors are also commissioned to participate in international internet policymaking thereby contributing African perspectives in global debates. The training aims to: Get participants to understand internet governance Increase the mass of people contributing to internet policy making in Kenya and globally equip participants with skills to effectively participate in internet governance discussions and forums Provide networking opportunities for different stakeholders Provide actors involved in internet governance (trainers) with feedback on emerging issues Methodology KeSIG 2022 will take place over three weeks from 17th to 30th June 2022. On the first day, participants are taken through basic concepts in internet governance with a focus on Kenya’s contribution throughout the years. Topical issues such as online protest and content generation are covered on the second day. On the third day, participants interact with policymakers such as the Communications Authority, legislative drafters, and private sector policy advocates. The COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity to reflect and evolve. KICTANet restricted physical meetings and transitioned them to be entirely online. Events like the Kenya IGF and the Kenya School of Internet Governance all went online. An e-learning platform was developed for KESIG which reduced the costs of the training while making it better leading to an increased capacity from 40 to 100 students. However, disparities in internet access meant many were not reached, even as many households installed internet fiber at home, or upgraded their bandwidth to cater to the increased need of working from home. These developments provided an opportunity to advocate for the reduction of internet access and connectivity costs and taxes. The KeSIG training is a mix of lectures and interactive activities. The course content is delivered through an e-learning platform. Participants also get to listen to perspectives from veterans and practitioners who have participated in internet governance as well as emerging leaders. They also get to stimulate scenarios and envision the future of the internet and policy-making in Africa. KeSIG alumni also facilitate sessions in the program, encouraging participants to envision their contribution to internet policymaking. KESIG 2022 has 113 participants. Areas to be covered in the training include: Introduction to internet governance Main concepts in internet governance Internet governance processes and how to get involved Kenya’s internet Governance policy /legal framework(s), internet Governance Issues in Kenya Digitalisation and digital rights in Kenya and Africa at large Pre Kenya School of Internet Governance- Program – 17th – 30th June 2022 Time Activity Facilitator 9:00 am – 9:15 am Meet & Greet Judy Okite 9:15 am – 9:30 am KeSIG brief introduction. Grace Githaiga 9:30 am – 10:00 am E-Learning Portal Overview Kelvin Kariuki 10:00 am – 10:15 am Q&A Liz Orembo 21st to 24th June At your own free time Self-Paced Learning on the KeSIG eLearning Portal Walubengo, Kariuki and Judy Webinar with industry speakers 27th June to 29th June 2022 Day 1: Mon 27th June Time Topic Facilitator 09:00 – 09:15 Welcome remarks from KICTANet Barrack Otieno, Kelvin Kariuki, Judy Okite. 09:20- 10:00 Lesson 1: Evolution of Internet – Internet Infrastructure development. Q and A Paul Muchene – ICANN 10:05- 10:45 Lesson2: Relationship between Internet Principles and Human rights Q and A Rosemary Kimwatu 10:50- 11:30 Lesson 3: Intro to IG- IG- The process John Walubengo Daily Review Questions Moderator Review: Questions for Lesson 1, 2, 3 Q and A Barrack Otieno Day 2: Tue 28th June – Required: Self-paced pre reading 09:00- 09:15 Recap From day 1 Kelvin Kariuki, Judy Okite 09:20- 10:00 Lesson 4: National and Transnational organizations role in Governing the internet Understanding Internet regulation Communications Authority 10:05- 10:45 Lesson 5: Private sector – Passive observer or active contributor – ISP\’s : Understanding the role of Private Sector in Internet Governance Safaricom 10:50- 11:30 Content Moderation and Community standardsQ and A Meta (Facebook) Daily Review Questions 11:35-12.00 Moderator Review: Questions for Lesson 4,5, 6 Q and A Day 3: Tue 29th June – Required: Self-paced pre-reading 09:00- 09:15 Recap of previous day’s lesson Kelvin Kariuki, Judy Okite 09:20- 10:00 Lesson 7: Key global Internet Governance Issues – Accessibility – Overview of Accessibility and Demo Judy Okite, Dr. Reginald Oduor 10:05- 10:45 Data protection and privacy overview John Walubengo 10:50- 11:30 Overview of the course content and Q&A John Walubengo Closing remarks Grace Githaiga Barrack Otieno Day 4: Thur 30th June – Participate on the Kenya Internet Governance Forum 2022 – hybrid Award of KeSIG – Trainees Barrack Otieno & Grace Githaiga eLearning Track – self paced. NB: Add PRIVACY MODULE BELOW Chapter 1 Historical background to the development of the Internet Fundamental key principles and characteristics that underpin the internet Characteristics of internet model of development Multistakeholder engagement in global internet governance Chapter 2 Over The Top Services Local Content Issues Cybersecurity Perspectives on key policy and regulatory issues and processes Engaging policy processes: policy and legislative procedures Chapter 3 Legal issues, including privacy and intellectual property rights. Human rights and the internet Participating in internet governance: highlight of some opportunities (IGF, WSIS, IETF, ICANN, DIPLO, KICTANet) Emerging issues: internet and elections
Cherie : My #KeSIG2021 Experience – A Cheat Sheet for Future Students
By Cherie Oyier. Earlier this year 2021, I read a book by Austin Kleon titled, “Show Your Work.” It is a tiny book that I think everyone should read. Anyway, this book’s main objective is to encourage more people to show the behind-the-scenes or backend processes that go into achieving final results. Austin claims that showing the backend processes not only gives the creator an opportunity to see and appreciate their progress, it also inspires others of the possibility of success and opens the floor for feedback and ideas on how to improve the process for future creators. It is on this basis that I am inspired to write about my experience as a Kenya School of Internet Governance (#KeSIG2021) cohort. I trace my experience back to when the call for applications was made. The call for applications is made annually via the KeSIG website and then it makes its way into various social media platforms through re-sharing. I, for instance, saw the call in one of the WhatsApp groups I am a member of. This, therefore, goes to show that it is important to join communities or groups of like-minded people where you are likely to see such updates. However, if you are yet to meet such people, worry not, you can always check the KeSIG website or better yet follow them on their different social media pages to stay updated. The application form comes as a Google form that is easy to navigate and fill. The questions on the form require that you demonstrate why you want to take up the course, what plans or contributions you intend to make in the Internet Governance space post the course among other details. I strongly recommend that applicants provide well-thought, honest and contextual answers. The application and admission process is very competitive thus you want your application to stands out and to give recruiters as much context as to why you deserve a slot, therefore generic answers will not favor you. Successful applicants will receive an onboarding email that also includes the course program. It is imperative that you regularly check your email for this. As this cohort was held online due to the pandemic, the introductory class was done before the e-learning portal was open for access by students. In this introductory class, the faculty got to introduce themselves, train us on how to navigate the e-learning platform, and finally give us access to the platform. The e-learning platform is easy to navigate therefore you are guaranteed to have a great user experience, or at least I did. Once admitted, we were able to start our self-paced learning for a week. During this period, we got access to six lessons including external links to further resources and material, graded forum discussions, and assignments after each lesson. For me, one of the best parts of this cohort was the creation of a WhatsApp group at the onset. Membership of the group included students and the faculty and this created a space to seek support and an opportunity for horizontal exchange of experiences, views, and observations freely. When the course got more technical as we made progress, this group came in handy with participants discussing their challenges and offering valuable guidance. Interaction within the group was a good icebreaker to creating new networks especially since the essence of the cohort is to create new communities to lend their voices in the Internet Governance space. The fact that the cohort accommodates participants from different disciplines, means that members offer diverse perspectives during discussions that build on the quality of discussions. The group also acts as a constant accountability partner. Many are the times members checked in to find out if all members had submitted assignments and most nights there was someone counting down to the submission deadline. The KeSIG and KICTANet faculty provided valuable support through the group as well. I like to think of the faculty members as open and transparent like the internet – all pun intended! Faculty members were more like peers and very approachable. They answered our sometimes very amateur questions without reservation, challenged and pushed our intellectual limits, and most importantly they were very open to learning from us. After each lesson, students are to complete a graded forum discussion and assignments. These forums seek opinions on the topic covered. My recommendation to future students, therefore, is to read the resources provided for each lesson and go the extra mile of finding more resources on the Internet in order to engage better. Since the time for submission of the assignments is limited, ensure to actively set aside time each day to complete your reading and assignments on time. Further, please actively participate in the forum discussions as these discussions add value to the overall Internet Governance space. In the second week, students are required to attend live online sessions for three days. During this time, the faculty invites industry players to share their thoughts and experiences on different issues. The sessions are open to participants to engage with the industry leaders through questions, feedback, and opinions. Active participation is key as it enables you to grasp concepts better and seek clarity on current issues happening in a particular industry. The final quiz is made accessible to students on the third day of the final week. This quiz is a consolidation of questions that cut across all six lessons. The quiz is timed so you might sweat a little but it is totally doable if you study and attend live sessions. The results of the quiz are generated in real-time and are accessible on the platform, students are also able to track their grades, and progress through the platform as they progress. The last day of KeSIG always coincides with the Kenya Internet Governance Forum (KeIGF) day. Students get to attend the forum and interact with more industry players for the entire day. Upon completion of the course, students are issued with shareable certificates and they can
My reflection on Kenya School of Internet Governance and working in Post Covid19 era
By Peter Mmbando, KeSIG and KeIGF Fellow 2020, from Tanzania. As the year 2020 draws to close and we prepare to welcome the year 2021, I share my reflections on the KeSIG and KeIGF 2020 as the first virtual events hosted in Kenya that engaged Multistakeholders from East African Countries. The events were virtual, with presentations from ICT professionals, and digital policy experts who provided rich content that changed my way of thinking for future events and work in cyberspace. I learned that due to the pandemic, the world had totally changed from analog to digital. The pandemic prompted everyone to work remotely or from home. Some organizations changed to hybrid offices where non-essential workers begin working from home or remotely in finance, ICT, agriculture, media to name a few. Much of the contents at KeSIG reminded us to focus and not panic, to be creative, perseverance, to upgrade skills, and to accumulate constructive knowledge for the betterment of the world. The concepts covered internet design principles, introduction into internet governance, international roles of internet governance, private sector roles in internet governance, and emerging issues.I have learned that most youths are taking digital life for granted, not paying enough time to details, to explore, read, practice digital skills, as well as upgrade their skills in cybersecurity, instead, they spend much time on social media chatting or watching unproductive information. In addition, the KeSIG 2020 and KeIGF 2020 had touched on issues of disinformation and misinformation that had affected communities by creating fear and panic during the pandemic. Youths, especially women must be equipped with digital skills ( techno know-how) in order to understand how to respond to cyber-bullying, cyber-attacks, and cyberspace at large as well as to learn how to write positive narratives about Africa with reliable sources of information. Furthermore, KeIGF speakers elaborated on how youth can practically learn negotiation skills not only at the national level, continental level but also at the global level in policy formulation and discussions. Negotiation skills are vital for African youths to address critical issues facing the African continent, for instance, the issues of internet connectivity, data privacy, data protection, and cybersecurity policies. Other issues are internet shutdown and throttling and mass surveillance. Lastly, youth must understand that while most jobs and opportunities are remote and virtual, it is time to wake up and learn, upgrade skills, and fast to adapt changes in life. As we are living in a digitalized world, we depend much on the digital economy to survive or live. We should well manage time and other resources to build constructive digital workspace and engage in community activities to bring positive change at different levels. Lack of digital skills should not be an excuse for not working remotely or trying to create opportunities in a pandemic or non-pandemic period, we have seen that the future of work is remote to hybrid, as nearly 70% of organizations believe the productivity gains of remote working are sustainable beyond the pandemic. It is time for African youths to work hard and come up with solutions to problems that are facing in the digital space.
My First Virtual School Experience at KeSIG
By Rebeccah Wambui. The insistent message to “do something meaningful with your time” during the unprecedented, at least in our generation, the covid-19 pandemic period had taken its toll on me. So in a typical millennial style, I did nothing meaningful in protest for a while. Until I came across application invitations for the fifth cohort of Kenya School of Internet Governance (KeSIG)/ by KICTANet I applied instantly. This was the opportunity to further my skills on internet governance and officially join the learnt a new skill during Covid19 club. The application and acceptance process was brief and concise. School officially kicked off with the learning management system induction training, followed by intensive, three-day sessions. This included the mandatory self-paced reading of course material provided through the KICTANet e-learning platform, and zoom interactions with industry experts from CSK, Safaricom, ICANN, and KHRC. Course work evaluation was a timed one hour attempt, with a 60% pass mark. The graduation and certificate award ceremonies have previously been held at the end of Kenya Internet Governance forums, but this year’s got a mention at the Virtual Kenya IGF webinar with trainees receiving e- certificates. A key lesson I learned was – Multistakeholdersim is the approach to Internet Governance and generally means that a multitude of stakeholders, as opposed to governments only, can participate in and have an impact on Internet Governance processes, discussions, and Internet policy development. I now have the skills and knowledge to engage in wider internet governance discussions as well as the responsibility to create awareness and invite other stakeholders in, as the field is perceived as an exclusive reserve for the technical community. Rebeccah Wambui is in the gig economy of Capacity Development and Social Impact. She also hosts The Audacity Podcast ke.@beckywambui
Kenya IGF week 2019
The Kenya IGF week shall be held from 29th July to 1st August 2019 at the Panafric Hotel, in Nairobi. The IGF week has a series of activities including the Kenya School of Internet Governance (KeSIG), policy briefs dissemination workshops, and culminates in the flagship Kenya Internet Governance Forum. Kenya School of Internet Governance (KeSIG) KeSIG has grown to be among KICTANet’s flagship programmes, and its success has not been only in bringing in new voices but also encouraging those whose work has been disrupted by the internet to understand and contribute to internet policy making processes. In its 4th edition, KeSIG deliberately targets law enforcement officers, civil society organisation officers, traditional and new media practitioners, the tech community and academics. Its aim remains to build capacity for local and global internet governance by leveraging on existing policy advocates from areas such as media, human rights, devolved government and law enforcement and adding new voices Areas to be covered in the training include: introduction and main issues in internet governance; internet governance processes and how to get involved; and Kenya’s internet governance frameworks. The faculty is sourced from local and African actors such as the regulators, the executive, civil society leaders , digital rights activists, lawyers and technical community. KeSIG’s mission is to increase capacity of key actors and potential actors in the local internet governance space. These include traditional human rights defenders and civil society organisations, students, academia, tech community and government departments. These actors are also commissioned to participate in international internet policy making for a thereby contributing African perspectives in global debates. Kenya 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 issues, 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, 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 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. Side events: Policy briefs dissemination workshops Several side events will be held during the IGF week. One of them will be the policy brief on Regulation OTTs – the challenges and recommendations. More to follow …
Call for Volunteers for the 2019 Kenya IGF MAG
KICTANet wishes to invite volunteers from the different stakeholder groups to assist in the preparation of the Kenya Internet Governance Forum (KIGF) 2019, which will be held on Thursday, 1 August 2019. The Kenya Internet Governance Forum (KIGF) is an annual meeting that brings together various stakeholder groups to dialogue on ICT and Internet policy. The Steering Team otherwise known as the Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) role is to assist in convening the Kenya IGF by preparing the programme and schedule and to improve the IGF process through community consultations, outreach and stakeholder engagement. MAG members volunteer and serve in their personal capacity, and are expected to have established linkages with their respective stakeholder groups. Please review the MAG TOR. To express interest, please send an email to info@kictanet.or.ke with the subject line \”Kenya IGF 2019 MAG\” indicating your stakeholder group, expertise and why you are interested in joining the steering committee of KIGF 2019 by Tuesday, June 25 2019. Membership to the steering team is voluntary and all materials produced by KICTANet are published under creative commons licenses. Organisations from various stakeholder groups are encouraged to nominate representatives.
