Kenya has finally approved registration of Second Level Domains. This means it will now be possible to register and use domain names like kenet.ke rather than kenet.or.ke (or in addition to).

The shorter domain names are considered “premium domain names” and attract higher registration and annual subscription charges.

Roll out of second level domains shall be over three periods namely:-

1. The SUNRISE period of 90 days starts on July 23, 2017 and allows all existing .ke domain owners (e.g., University of Nairobi) to reserve and register their preferred domain names. An institution can register as many domains as it needs. The price per domain shall be Ksh 10,000 per year.

2. The LANDRUSH period of 30 days shall follow the SUNRISE and allows others who did not have .ke domains to register their domain names. The price during this period is Ksh 9,000 per domain name per year. If you are late or miss the SUNRISE, it is then possible to register your domain. At this time, it is possible for others organizations or individuals to register your unprotected names (e.g., someone could register kenet.ke if we did not register the domain name in SUNRISE). DOT KE domains can be registered by any organization anywhere in the world for their own branding purposes. PROTECT YOUIR BRAND early.

3. General availability period - starts 150 days from July 23, 2017 and allows anybody to register second level domains. The price shall be Ksh 8,000 per year.

KENET is a licensed sub-domain registrar and we register or renew subscriptions on behalf of all members; we also maintain the domain records.