AFRINIC’s annulled election sparks ISP, telco, and hoster frustration over governance, transparency, and Africa’s internet future.
AFRINIC Timeline
The key events of AFRINIC are highlighted below.
The AFRINIC saga
AFRINIC (African Network Information Centre) is the Regional Internet Registry for Africa, overseeing the allocation, registration, and management of Internet number resources. For the past few years it has been plunged into turmoil due to corruption, mismanagement and the expiration of its board of directors and CEO. In 2025, the annulment of its June board of directors election, and the controversial running of a potentially illegal election in September, threaten the constitutional laws on which Mauritian business is based.
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8 April 2005
Formal/accreditation: AFRINIC is officially recognised as the fifth RIR by ICANN.
March 2018
Allegations of bullying and sexual misconduct are raised by a staff member
April 2019
AFRINIC senior staff member Ernest Byaruhanga is found to have stolen 4.1 million IPv4 addresses over the previous several years, many of which were then used to host gambling and pornography websites.
October 2019
Eddy Kayihura replaces Alan Barrett as CEO, and dismisses Byaruhanga. Later, Kayihura attempts to seize control of AFRINIC by holding illegal elections without authority.
July 2021
Supreme Court of Mauritius rules that the AFRINIC Board of Directors is invalid (because the CEO had been acting when there was no proper quorum / expired terms). The CEO is suspended, board seats become vacant.
June 2022
Supreme Court of Mauritius rules that the AFRINIC Board of Directors is invalid. Eventually all directors’ terms expire, leaving AFRINIC without a board or CEO.
September 2023
Virasami Vasoodeven is appointed as AFRINIC’s Official Receiver by; the Supreme Court of Mauritius, instructed to restore governance and arrange board elections.
30 November 2024
The Supreme Court rules that members created after September 2023 lack voting rights and orders a new board & CEO election to happen by June 2025.
2025
Investigations by BTW Media find numerous illicit activities, including a letter that exposes a potential multi-million-dollar fraud by the law consultancy hired to fight AFRNIC’s cases in court; and an illegal visit by a lawyer representing ICANN to AFRINIC’s offices while the Official Receiver was on vacation.
June 2025
The board of directors election is annulled due to a single disputed proxy vote, causing uproar.
September 2025
A second 2025 board election is held that violates AFRINIC’s own by-laws and the Mauritian Companies Act.
AFRINIC Timeline
The key events of AFRINIC are highlighted below.
8 April 2005
Formal/accreditation: AFRINIC is officially recognised as the fifth RIR by ICANN.
March 2018
Allegations of bullying and sexual misconduct are raised by a staff member
April 2019
AFRINIC senior staff member Ernest Byaruhanga is found to have stolen 4.1 million IPv4 addresses over the previous several years, many of which were then used to host gambling and pornography websites.
October 2019
Eddy Kayihura replaces Alan Barrett as CEO, and dismisses Byaruhanga.
July 2021
Supreme Court of Mauritius rules that the AFRINIC Board of Directors is invalid (because the CEO had been acting when there was no proper quorum / expired terms). The CEO is suspended, board seats become vacant.
June 2022
Supreme Court of Mauritius rules that the AFRINIC Board of Directors is invalid. Eventually all directors’ terms expire, leaving AFRINIC without a board or CEO
September 2023
Virasami Vasoodeven is appointed as AFRINIC’s Official Receiver by; the Supreme Court of Mauritius, instructed to restore governance and arrange board elections.
30 November 2024
The Supreme Court rules that members created after September 2023 lack voting rights and orders a new board & CEO election to happen by June 2025.
2025
Investigations by BTW Media find numerous illicit activities, including a letter that exposes a potential multi-million-dollar fraud by the law consultancy hired to fight AFRNIC’s cases in court; and an illegal visit by a lawyer representing ICANN to AFRINIC’s offices while the Official Receiver was on vacation.
June 2025
The board of directors election is annulled due to a single disputed proxy vote, causing uproar.
September 2025
A second 2025 board election is held that violates AFRINIC’s own by-laws and the Mauritian Companies Act.
8 April 2005
Formal/accreditation: AFRINIC is officially recognised as the fifth RIR by ICANN.
March 2018
Allegations of bullying and sexual misconduct are raised by a staff member
April 2019
AFRINIC senior staff member Ernest Byaruhanga is found to have stolen 4.1 million IPv4 addresses over the previous several years, many of which were then used to host gambling and pornography websites.
October 2019
Eddy Kayihura replaces Alan Barrett as CEO, and dismisses Byaruhanga.
July 2021
Supreme Court of Mauritius rules that the AFRINIC Board of Directors is invalid (because the CEO had been acting when there was no proper quorum / expired terms). The CEO is suspended, board seats become vacant.
June 2022
Supreme Court of Mauritius rules that the AFRINIC Board of Directors is invalid. Eventually all directors’ terms expire, leaving AFRINIC without a board or CEO
September 2023
Virasami Vasoodeven is appointed as AFRINIC’s Official Receiver by; the Supreme Court of Mauritius, instructed to restore governance and arrange board elections.
30 November 2024
The Supreme Court rules that members created after September 2023 lack voting rights and orders a new board & CEO election to happen by June 2025.
2025
Investigations by BTW Media find numerous illicit activities, including a letter that exposes a potential multi-million-dollar fraud by the law consultancy hired to fight AFRNIC’s cases in court; and an illegal visit by a lawyer representing ICANN to AFRINIC’s offices while the Official Receiver was on vacation.
June 2025
The board of directors election is annulled due to a single disputed proxy vote, causing uproar.
September 2025
A second 2025 board election is held that violates AFRINIC’s own by-laws and the Mauritian Companies Act.