Kenyans to own no more than 10 SIM cards in new regulations

Kenyans will be allowed to own up to 10 SIM cards under new regulations from the ICT Ministry.

According to a revised draft of the Kenya Information and Communications (Registration of Telecommunications Service Subscribers) Regulations,2022, published on Tuesday, all subscribers except in the case of registering a child shall register a maximum of 10 SIM cards.

Kenyans will be required to continue providing original identification documents such as IDs, birth certificates and passports in the SIM registration process.
Meanwhile, parents or guardians who intend to register a SIM card on behalf of a child shall provide both their identification documents and those of the child in the registration process.

Children shall upon the attainment of the adult age of 18, be required to regularize their registration details within a period of three months.

Subscribers are meanwhile obligated to alert their telecommunications operator or agent of changes to their registration details within a month.

On their part, operators and their agents will be required to verify the documentation provided with penalties for the pair in the case of non-compliance and fines for subscribers who present fake personal identification details.

The new draft regulation bars subscribers from registering SIM cards on behalf of others.

Telcos will be required to notify non-compliant subscribers before deactivating or suspending services.

Operators have the green light to deactivate subscriptions upon requests by subscribers in the event the subscriber submits false information in registrations.

The new regulations which are currently under public participation until May 31 are expected to come into play six months after the publication of the final draft.

Operators or subscribers who contravene the new provisions are expected to face sanctions including fines to be prescribed by the Communication Authority of Kenya (CA).