You Don’t Need to Register Afresh: Communications Authority Clarifies SIM Card Registration

The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has clarified that Kenyans whose SIM cards are registered do not need to register them afresh.

CA director-general Ezra Chiloba, in an interview with The Standard, said the agency is only targeting people with unregistered SIM cards and those that are registered using other people’s details.

Chiloba cited a situation where parents and guardians register SIM cards in their name for use by minors.

On Friday, Chiloba warned that the deadline for the exercise will not be extended and urged those who are yet to duly register their SIM cards with their respective telecommunication providers to do so before April 15th, or face disconnection. He argued that the registration exercise has been ongoing since January and Kenyans have been given enough time to comply with the requirement. 

CA wants each of the more than 65 million SIM cards in operation in the country to be duly registered in a move aimed at curbing fraud.

A Kenyan living in the United Kingdom sued CA over the directive requiring mobile service operators to register their customers afresh.

Eliud Karanja Matindi wants the court to declare the said directive unconstitutional, arguing that it is in violation and infringement of the Constitution (including the Bill of Rights), statutes, regulations, and other applicable laws.

He avers that it is unconstitutional to require mobile telephone service subscribers who have already registered their SIM cards with their service provider to register afresh.

Long queues have been witnessed at mobile service provider outlets across the country as Kenyans rush to beat the April 15th deadline.