Technology

Safaricom, Airtel CEO's grilled over unregistered Sim cards

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Safaricom CEO, Bob Collymore (left), Airtel's Shivan Bhargava and Telkom Kenya's Mickael Ghossein (right). Safaricom and Airtel CEO’s have presented themselves to the police for questioning October 8, 2013 while Telkom Kenya's was grilled on Monday night. Photos/FILE

Safaricom and Airtel CEO’s have presented themselves to the police for questioning over unregistered Sim Cards.

Safaricom’s Bob Collymore is being grilled at the CID headquarters while Shivan Bhargava at the Industrial area police station.

Telkom’s Kenya CEO Mickael Ghossein said he was grilled for two and half hours at the Kilimani CID offices on Monday night.

“I was picked by the CID’s at Telkom Kenya headquarters at around 7.30 pm or 8.00 pm. I was leaving the office for my house when I found them down stairs waiting for me. We went to Kilimani CID offices where I was questioned about the unregistered SIM cards on our network,” Mr Ghossein said.

This follows Monday’s announcement by the Inspector General David Kimaiyo, Communication Commission of Kenya director general Francis Wangusi and ICT Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i that the four mobile network operators will face charges for allowing unregistered subscribers into their network and selling pre activated Sim cards.

The four operators have since March been required to take details of those buying Sim cards and to disable all unregistered users on their network.

The crackdown comes as the government tightens security following the September 21 attack that left 73 dead, 240 injured and 39 still missing.

The four CEO’s were meant to hold a joint press conference at 10.30 but this has been pushed to the afternoon following the latest development.

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