Sim card registration exercise extended
By Joshua Cheloti
It is a sigh of relief to hundreds of Kenyans who had not yet registered their sim cards as the dateline comes to an end.
The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) had said all Kenyans should have registered their sim cards by the end of April 15, 2022.
But following long queues that have been witnessed across the country for Kenyans seeking to adhere to the directive, the authority has finally bowed to pressure and extended the registration.
In a statement, the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) Director-General Ezra Chiloba said it had extended the SIM card registration deadline by another 6 months.
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Communications Authority of Kenya (CAK) Director General Ezra Chiloba. |Photo| Courtesy|[/caption]
This means all sim cards should be registered on or before October 15, 2022.
CA says operators, as well as users who will still be unregistered by the lapse of the new deadline, will now be fined.
The authority had on Thursday said it would consult mobile network operators on the possibility of extending the SIM card registration exercise to give customers an opportunity to validate respective details of registration.
During a visit to West Pokot County, where he launched the USF Voice infrastructure connectivity project, Chiloba further said the ban on hawking of SIM cards by unregistered dealers will remain in force, as according to him, it is aimed at dealing with fraudsters.
“We will have a meeting this evening to deliberate ways in which we can help citizens register. The SIM cards might be switched off tomorrow but we will listen to the operators because it was their obligation to re-register the SIM cards afresh and ensure that persons seeking to do so submit all of the required details as mandated by law,” said Chiloba.
Chiloba had a few days ago noted that all Kenyans are to re-register their SIM cards ahead of the April 15, deadline.
There have been calls for the CA to extend the dateline, with Deputy President William Ruto saying there was no hurry in asking Kenyans to register their sim cards afresh.
Communications Authority of Kenya (CAK) Director General Ezra Chiloba. |Photo| Courtesy|[/caption]
This means all sim cards should be registered on or before October 15, 2022.
CA says operators, as well as users who will still be unregistered by the lapse of the new deadline, will now be fined.
The authority had on Thursday said it would consult mobile network operators on the possibility of extending the SIM card registration exercise to give customers an opportunity to validate respective details of registration.
During a visit to West Pokot County, where he launched the USF Voice infrastructure connectivity project, Chiloba further said the ban on hawking of SIM cards by unregistered dealers will remain in force, as according to him, it is aimed at dealing with fraudsters.
“We will have a meeting this evening to deliberate ways in which we can help citizens register. The SIM cards might be switched off tomorrow but we will listen to the operators because it was their obligation to re-register the SIM cards afresh and ensure that persons seeking to do so submit all of the required details as mandated by law,” said Chiloba.
Chiloba had a few days ago noted that all Kenyans are to re-register their SIM cards ahead of the April 15, deadline.
There have been calls for the CA to extend the dateline, with Deputy President William Ruto saying there was no hurry in asking Kenyans to register their sim cards afresh. What's Your Reaction?
