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    • .ke

    Country-code top-level domainsDNSSEC

    Overview

    • .ke is the country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Kenya.
    • Managed by KeNIC (Kenya Network Information Centre), the authoritative registry and sponsor for the TLD.
    • Registrations are structured at the third level beneath defined second-level labels (for example, example.co.ke).
    • DNSSEC is supported for the .ke zone.

    History

    • The .ke domain was delegated and implemented on 29 April 1993.
    • Initially administered by individuals (Dr. Shem Ochuodho as administrative contact and Randy Bush as technical contact).
    • Kenyan stakeholders formed KeNIC in October 2001 to provide institutional management.
    • KeNIC submitted a redelegation request to IANA and assumed control of the .ke ccTLD in 2002 (at that time there were fewer than 1,000 registrations).

    Usage and Audience

    • .ke is very popular within Kenya and is primarily used by Kenyan businesses, organizations, government entities, academic institutions and individuals.
    • Common second-level labels and typical audiences:
      • .co.ke: Most common; available to individuals and businesses but presence in Kenya is required.
      • .or.ke: Not-for-profit organizations (documentation proving not-for-profit status required).
      • .go.ke: Government entities (supporting documents required).
      • .ac.ke: Academic institutions (universities, colleges, schools — proof required).
      • .sc.ke: Lower and middle institutes of learning (supporting documents required).
      • .me.ke: Personal sites/names.
      • .mobi.ke: Mobile content.
      • .info.ke: Informational content.
      • .ne.ke: For network devices.
    • Example of domain-hack usage: ca.ke.
    • Registered domains: 102,775 (data recorded on 2022-12-17).

    Registration Rules

    • Registration occurs at the third level beneath designated second-level domains (SLDs).
    • Some SLDs require supporting documentation to prove eligibility (e.g., .or.ke, .go.ke, .ac.ke, .sc.ke).
    • .co.ke is widely available but requires presence in Kenya.
    • Character and length rules (for .ke domain names):
      • Minimum length: 1 character.
      • Maximum length: 63 characters.
      • Allowed characters/syntax pattern: [a-z 0-9].
    • Some names are reserved or blocked to protect DNS stability or because they are considered offensive.
    • Registration and continued use of .ke domain names is subject to Kenyan law.
    • KeNIC maintains domain dispute-resolution procedures to handle cybersquatting, similarity conflicts and abusive registrations; complainants may file complaints and an appointed panel reviews and decides on disputes.

    Notable Cases or Examples

    • Redelegation to KeNIC (2002): The transfer of administrative control from the original individual administrator to KeNIC was a notable redelegation case reviewed and approved by IANA.
    • Domain-hack example: ca.ke used as a creative second-level/third-level combination.

    Operator

    Kenya Network Information Center (KeNIC)

    Whois

    % IANA WHOIS server
% for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org
% This query returned 1 object

domain:       KE

organisation: Kenya Network Information Center (KeNIC)
address:      P.O. Box 1461
address:      Waiyaki Way, CCK Complex
address:      Nairobi 00606
address:      Kenya

contact:      administrative
name:         Andrew Lewela Mwanyota
organisation: Kenya Network Information Center (KeNIC)
address:      P.O. Box 1461
address:      Waiyaki Way, CA Centre
address:      Nairobi 00606
address:      Kenya
phone:        +254 728 518366
e-mail:       admin@kenic.or.ke

contact:      technical
name:         Ahmed Landi
organisation: Kenya Network Information Center (KeNIC)
address:      P.O. Box 1461
address:      Waiyaki Way, CCK Complex
address:      Nairobi 00606
address:      Kenya
phone:        +254 704 316 945
fax-no:       +254 20 4450087
e-mail:       tech@kenic.or.ke

nserver:      KENIC.ANYCASTDNS.CZ 185.28.194.194 185.38.108.108
nserver:      MZIZI.KENIC.OR.KE 196.1.4.130 196.1.4.3 196.13.202.53 198.32.67.9 2001:43f8:10:0:50c0:a8ff:feee:30
nserver:      NS-KE.AFRINIC.NET 196.216.168.22 2001:43f8:120:0:0:0:0:22
nserver:      NS.ANYCAST.KENIC.OR.KE 2001:500:14:6007:ad:0:0:1 204.61.216.7
ds-rdata:     17597 8 2 4fef0bc48f3d29fb79eea0df695c2e0a3f768fe1c66133c8363909ac972e65d1

whois:        whois.kenic.or.ke

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: http://www.kenic.or.ke

created:      1993-04-29
changed:      2024-08-06
source:       IANA

    Registrars