Kenya: Telcos to Blame for Inaccuracies in SIM Card Registration – Chiloba

Communication Authority of Kenya Director General Ezra Chiloba has blamed mobile service providers for the inaccuracies in SIM card registration as required by the law.

Chiloba while speaking to SPICE FM on Tuesday morning noted that mobile service operators have constitently engaged in unprofessional manner while registering individuals despite a notice issued.

“We started this conversation for this campaign two years ago and even issued notices but they were not yielding the results we wanted,”said Chiloba.

He stated that there seems to be a system failure on how the different mobile service providers register their customers due to how different operators sell their SIM cards.

“Its illegal to hawk sim cards, you can only get a SIM card from an agent or a dealer not on the streets. Most SIM cards hawked are not duly registered,” Chiloba noted.

The Director General stated that the regulator will in the next month conclude and audit on the database owned by mobile service provider to ensure compliance.

Various stakeholders have complained that Telcos have been misusing their database making them prone to exploitation.

“Every sim card that is in use we must be able to trace it for us to know who actually owns it. At the lapse of the six (6) months extended period, we shall undertake a detailed compliance audit on each of the mobile operators. The outcome of this exercise will be made public,” said Chiloba.

CA extended the SIM card registration by another six months until October 15, 2022.

The extension follows a meeting that was held between the Authority and Mobile Network Operators (MNO) bosses.

Chiloba met with the Mobile Operators’ Chief Executive Officers who resolved to extend the exercise to allow for 100 percent compliance.

“During this period, the Authority will undertake monthly reviews to assess progress. At the expiry of the six months, the Authority will further conduct a detailed compliance audit on each of the operators,” Chiloba said on Friday.

He warned that “any case of non-compliance with the SIM Card Registration Regulations 2015 by either the operators or subscribers will attract immediate penalties as laid out by law”.

Currently, according to CA, “Safaricom PLC has reported 67 per cent compliance, Airtel Kenya 55 per cent while Telkom Kenya is at 33 per cent”.

The extension comes as a relief to many Kenyans who last week trooped to various stations to beat the deadline set on April 15.