Kenyans who do not register their SIM cards with their respective telecommunication service providers by April 15 will face a financial penalty, according to the Communications Authority (CA).
CA Director General Ezra Chiloba defended the proposal to punish users who do not register their SIM cards, claiming that registration is meant at combating cybercrime and fraud in the digital arena.
The authorities has stated that the restrictions would be applied, adding that anybody found in possession of unregistered SIM cards will face fines of up to Ksh300,000 or a six-month jail sentence, or both.
“There would be no extension so those still dragging their feet should wake up to the reality and register with their respective telecom service providers or face permanent deactivation,” Chiloba stated.
The former Chief Executive Officer of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) also told network operators to hurry up data cleansing and deactivation of unregistered SIM cards.
In addition, SIM cards that have been incorrectly registered will be targeted as part of the clean-up effort.
“We want before the end of April all the networks to be cleaned up by deactivating all unregistered and improperly registered SIM cards from the networks,” Chiloba remarked.
Chiloba defended the new registration requirement, claiming that it will help the country join other countries with effective data systems and promote efforts to prevent incidences of cyber crime, which have been on the rise.
He explained, “It means that criminals and even terrorists can use unregistered SIM cards for anonymity and avoiding detection by the authorities.”
Mobile subscribers are need to show their National Identification numbers and a photograph during the registration process, which takes less than five minutes.
Users who have multiple SIM cards but have not properly registered them will be affected by the directive. This is in keeping with the most recent push to impose strict standards by acquiring millions of users’ biometric data.
Those who registered their SIM cards between 2002 and 2015 are likely to be affected by the mass switch.
“The regulations state that proper SIM card registration includes a photo ID, and since 2017 we have asked mobile service providers to comply, but they have not,” CA stated.
