Why You Should Register Your Sim Card Before April 15 – Chiloba

MOMBASA, Kenya, Apr 7 – Kenyans have up to April 15, 2022, to register their sim cards or face deactivation, the communications Authority has said.

The authority’s director-general Ezra Chiloba said the move is meant to enforce the SIM card registration regulations of 2015 amidst rising cases of cybercrime and fraud in the digital space.

Kenyans have further been asked to comply with the directive before the set date elapses as the government will not extend the registration period.

“What has been happening in the past is telecommunication operators have allowed unregistered sim cards to be used on their networks, thus we have people who are basically a threat to our security and survival of our country by abusing that space,” said Chiloba.

The DG said the exercise will ensure that operators become accountable.

“Terrorism-related activities…if you allow someone to get into our country who has no good intentions to be able to access sim cards and to be able to coordinate activities that are terror-related that is a danger to the country. We have seen similar aspects emerging in the recent past,” said Chiloba.

Once the deadline elapses Kenyans will be unable to access services from telecommunication service providers.

Kenya is expected to join other nations in the world that have developed similar policies and collected biometric data through a registration process by telecom companies in a bid to boost cybersecurity.

The authority has meanwhile cautioned operators from demanding ‘more’ personal information that is required necessary for the registration process from customers.

“We are working with the data protection commissioner to see how we harmonize the standards around the information required for us to say that you are effectively registered,” said Chiloba.

Parents have meanwhile been asked not to register their credentials in the SIM cards their children who are above the age of 18 operate.

“This will be an upgrade of the current model in which parents use their credentials to register SIM cards their children operate,” he said.

Poor information and communication infrastructure in the past hampered effective digitation within the sector.