Unregistered SIM cards in Kenya will be deactivated by April 15 as the government steps up the fight against crime and improve data accuracy.
Communications Authority (CA) has already ordered all mobile network operators to speed up the data cleanup exercise, adding that no more time will be added.
”We must ensure each subscriber is duly registered. We have about 65 million SIM cards active in Kenya. It means each and every person born in Kenya has a number attached to them. But we know the fact is most people have more than one SIM card,” Mr. Ezra Chiloba, Director General Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) said Friday.
”The requirement of SIM card registration is not a new one. The regulations at issue now are the 2015 regulations which provide how subscribers are supposed to register.”
''For the last two years, we have been working with mobile operators to ensure subscribers are properly registered for the greater good of the country. By 15th of April, their respective subscriber databases must be up to date.''-@CADirectorGen @ezraCHILOBA #SIMCardRegistration pic.twitter.com/CLwALKp3LO
— Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) (@CA_Kenya) April 8, 2022
''The concerns raised by people on the process are legitimate, but we must be honest whether we understand what is at stake.Ensure that by 15th April 2022 your SIM card is duly registered.''-@CADirectorGen @ezraCHILOBA #SIMCardRegistration pic.twitter.com/FStlLYK4oJ
— Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) (@CA_Kenya) April 8, 2022
This is the third time in a decade the regulator is coming up with a switch-off deadline after a similar attempt in 2012 and 2018.
According to the authority, mobile operators and subscribers have had enough time to conduct the cleanup exercise as per their request in 2018.
”This has been an ongoing process over the last few years, the planned switch-off follows an audit that has unearthed loopholes in adherence to SIM card registration laws by mobile network operators,” the authority said.
The regulator urged mostly subscribers with SIM cards of more than 10 years to visit their providers to update their data. It, however, indicated that most operators have recorded impressive compliance in the past four years.
“There is no need to protect consumers and the general public from criminal elements who exploit a lacuna in SIM registration. Many people have fallen prey to fraudsters,” CA said in a statement.
The data cleanup exercise in 2012 saw 80 percent of SIM cards registered with six million that had not been properly documented blocked.
The Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) (now CA) accused some operators of the laxity because of differing interests.
Telkom Kenya and YuMobile (no longer in operation) had the most to lose with estimates at the time indicating that unregistered SIM cards comprised 36.2 percent and 27.2 percent of their total subscribers respectively.
Why You Need to Update Your Safaricom SIM Card Details Today
The Kenya Information and Communications Regulations (Registration of SIM cards), 2015 outlaw the hawking of SIM cards with such an offense attract a fine of up to Sh500, 000 or 12 months imprisonment or both.
In addition, subscribers must appear in person and provide correct information. Providing incorrect information is an offense that attracts a fine of Sh100,000 or imprisonment for six (6) months or both.
However, it is now believed that a growing number of mobile users are obtaining new SIMs but are not presenting them for proper record keeping, the harsh penalty notwithstanding.
An audit by CA revealed that a large number of SIM cards are either still unregistered, partly registered, improperly or unprocedural registered, and fraudulently registered while others were registered against multiple owners.
The regulator did not reveal the number of SIM cards that are yet to be documented properly.
Figures from CA show that as of September 30, last year, the number of active mobile subscriptions (SIM Cards) stood at 64.9 million, marking an increase of 0.78 percent down from 3. 9 percent increase recorded three months earlier.
According to the data, about 59 million mobile phone devices were connected to mobile networks in the country.
The quarterly sector statistics report showed that 33 million were feature phones while 26 million were smartphones, putting the penetration levels at 67.9 percent and 53.4 percent respectively.
The report covering July-September 2021 also shows that the number of mobile money subscriptions reduced by 0.2 percent, attributed to an increase in inactive SIM cards as a result of subscribers defaulting on mobile money loans.
“This is attributed to the increase in the number of mobile loan defaulters whose SIM cards remained inactive during the reference period,” notes the report.
First published by NaiHaps
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