As communicated some months back, this Saturday will mark the deadline set by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) for SIM card registration, meaning all subscribers that have not validated their registration will be switched off.
Mandatory SIM registration is a legal requirement where the intended subscriber provides personal information such as name, national identification number, address, and proof of identity credentials to register or activate a SIM card. Many countries have a policy of mandatory subscriber identifiable module card registration in place.
In Kenya, the regulator has not fully sensitised the public about the benefits of the exercise. Validation largely helps in weeding out identity theft as well as improving the quality of information previously held.
The main reason governments put the policy is to mitigate security risks, from fraud to identity theft used to commit crimes and terrorism. SIM registration, therefore, enables law enforcement agents to track those criminals. Another benefit that SIM card registration provides to a subscriber is the digital identity that incentivises mobile commerce penetration from mobile money transfer to mobile ATMs, mobile ticketing, mobile advertising and marketing.
But as the deadline lapses this Saturday, there is the concern that genuine subscribers will find themselves deactivated. First, there are Kenyans who live in inaccessible rural areas and for them to find customer care of their mobile operator means travelling for miles and will not find it worth it.
Second, identification is a challenge in some places in Kenya like North Eastern where registration of persons takes time and is very stringent, making it difficult for many many people to obtain a national identification card. This brings the next issue to the forefront, which is the registration framework we are looking at in Kenya.
There are three types of frameworks starting with Capture-to-Store where the mobile network operators are required to capture and keep a record of the personal information of the SIM user. And the mobile network operator will avail the information when demanded.
Second, is the Capture-to-Share where mobile network operators are required to share the SIM users' personal information after capture with the government or regulator.
Third, is the Capture-to-Validate where mobile network operators are required to validate the SIM user’s identification credentials against the government’s central database.
So far, the CA has not been categorical on which framework Kenya is using in this registration exercise and this may be the reason for the resistance in compliance. If Kenya is using the Capture-to-Validate, the concern for many users will be their personal information being shared with agencies like the Kenya Revenue Authority. If the CA can address these kinds of concerns, then it will go a long way in making compliance easier.
The writer is an economist.
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