CA unveils new safeguards before SIM cards are deactivated

In a new raft of measures seeking to protect subscribers’ data and assigned phone numbers, the telecommunications companies will be required to notify subscribers before deactivating inactive SIM cards and recycling their mobile numbers under new safeguards introduced by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA).

The new rules require mobile operators to use all contact details provided during SIM registration to reach customers whose numbers have remained inactive for more than three months.

The notification process will run for three months before a number becomes eligible for deactivation and eventual reassignment to another subscriber.

Appearing before the National Assembly Public Petitions Committee today, October 6, 2026, CA Director-General David Mugonyi said the measures were designed to protect subscribers from losing numbers increasingly linked to mobile money accounts, financial services, online platforms and other digital services.

Mugonyi said the Procedures and Technical Safeguards for Deactivation and Recycling of Inactive Mobile Numbers, 2026 require operators to exhaust available contacts before deactivating a number.

Operators must also issue a public notice for numbers that have remained inactive for more than six months and are due for recycling. The notice will include a USSD facility allowing members of the public to check whether their numbers are on the deactivation list.

“The notice includes a USSD means for all members of the public to check the status of their numbers in case they are among those affected, in cases where they may not be sure,” Mugonyi told the committee.

The framework follows concerns over the previous deactivation and reassignment of inactive numbers and was developed after a March 2026 High Court ruling directed the Government, in consultation with stakeholders, to establish safeguards against arbitrary recycling.

The CA had subjected the proposed measures to public participation before finalising them.

The committee was considering a petition by Thomas Kerongo, who alleged that Safaricom deactivated SIM cards after six months of inactivity and reassigned the numbers without adequate notice.

The safeguards also provide protection for subscribers unable to use their numbers for extended periods because of circumstances beyond their control.

Subscribers or authorised representatives can request that numbers be whitelisted where they are expected to remain inactive for more than six months, including cases involving serious illness, imprisonment or prolonged travel.

For prisoners, the Commissioner-General of Prisons can notify mobile operators and request protection for numbers belonging to inmates serving sentences exceeding six months.

The committee also questioned what happens when a registered subscriber dies.

Kuria East MP Marwa Kitayama asked who would receive a deactivation notice in such circumstances.

Mugonyi said subscribers are required to provide comprehensive information, including alternative contacts that can be used to reach authorised persons or family members.

However, he acknowledged that some subscribers and registration agents fail to provide the required details.

“When registering for a SIM card, you are asked several questions by the person registering,” he said. “But because of the resistant nature of some of us, people evade certain critical questions.”

He added that some agents, driven by the rush to make money, fail to insist on alternative numbers and email addresses.

“The people selling also contribute to the challenge… they do not insist on getting these important details like alternative contact numbers, email address or any other source of contact in case of death,” Mugonyi said.

Where attempts to reach a subscriber fail, operators must delink and securely archive data associated with the number to ensure personal information and services linked to the former owner are not transferred to a new subscriber.

The CA said it will monitor implementation and review the safeguards as technology, regulation and consumer concerns evolve.

Mugonyi also disclosed that the regulator is considering proposals for SIM registration to be conducted directly by mobile network operators rather than agents to improve the accuracy and integrity of subscriber data.