A Fine of 100,000 Shillings to be Paid for Buying Simcards From Hawkers

Did you know that it is illegal to buy a sim card from hawkers? Are you one of those people using sim cards that have not been registered? If yes, then the long arm of the law will soon catch up with you.

The communications Authority of Kenya has given a notice concerning simcard purchase and usage in Kenya, including:

1. One should not use a simcard that is not registered
2. One should not buy simcard from a hawker
3. When buying a simcard, one should demand that the vendor registers their particulars
4. One is expected to provide their Identification Card and ensure that their correct particulars have been registered
5. One should report any change of their particulars as soon as possible to their provider for an update
6. In case one loses their simcard, they should immediately report to the nearest police station and obtain an abstract
7. No one should allow a stranger to use their simcard, and if the stranger seems to be in distress and requires assistance, make the call yourself.

The above stated measures may not seem to be serious to many of us, but it should be noted that failure to abide by any of them may lead to a criminal conviction of up to six months in prison or a fine of 100,000 shillings or both.

Last years, CA reported that a total of 37.8 million kenyans were on possession of mbile phones. This means that those are the total number of active simcards in the country, and at the same time, some  mobile phones can handle more than one simcard.

Truth is that, most of us are fond of buying our sim cards from the many hawkers who are easily accessed near us. This is why there has been a rise on the number of crimes including money laundering and terrorism, all which are carried out through sim card usage.

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