Internet meet to go on as planned

• Fears over insecurity had put Nairobi’s chances as venue for gathering in doubt

A key global meeting to discuss the future of the internet will go on as scheduled for March 7 to 12 in Nairobi, contrary to security fears, the organising committee’s top organ has confirmed.

Some members of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) had raised security concerns following the arrest of radical Islamic preacher, Mr Abdullah al-Faisal, which had led to demonstrations in Nairobi on January 15.

But last Friday, the board held a special meeting to address the upcoming meeting in Nairobi and security concerns raised by the community as a result of recent events in the city.

Mr Rod Beckstrom, the president of ICANN in a statement said that the company had re-examined the security situation of the city and it was approved, moving ahead with the Nairobi meeting.

Nairobi won the bid to host the meeting in 2008 after a two-year campaign, but the post-election crisis forced ICANN to change the venue to Cairo.

Mr Sammy Buruchara, chairman of Kenya Network Information Centre (KENIC), the trustee of the .co.ke top-level country domain hosting the conference, says the committee is finalising logistical issues and the function will go on as planned.

“We are talking about hosting a major international conference that Kenya must not lose. It means a lot for Kenya; a chance to market our ICT industry. Most of all, Kenya will be marketed as a key tourism destination in Africa, Mr Buruchara told the Daily Nation.

He said cyber security will be among the key topics for discussion during the conference as it has become a global threat.

“We are inviting experts to give a direction on cyber security. Look at what is happening between China and Google,” he added.

Experts say that as more companies go digital through online businesses and the use of mobile phones, security of information is threatened, and there is need for a mechanism to address the threat.