You may not have to re-register your SIM card after all: Chiloba clarifies
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According to CA director general Ezra Chiloba in an interview with The Standard newspaper, those targeted are people with SIM cards that haven’t been registered; and those that are registered using other people’s details.
He cited a situation where parents and guardians register SIM cards in their name for use by minors.
The clarification comes as Kenyans took to Twitter throughout the week to express their displeasure at the move requiring re-registration.
Some users directed their queries to telcos, asking what happens to loans taken using phone numbers if the lines are deregistered, pointing to a loophole that could be used by those who might want to default.
A Kenyan living in the United Kingdom had sued CA over the directive requiring mobile service operators to register their customers afresh.
Eliud Karanja Matindi wanted the court to declare the said directive as unconstitutional.
He argued the directive was in violation and infringement of the Constitution (including the Bill of Rights), statutes, regulations and other applicable laws.
According to him, it is unconstitutional to require mobile telephone service subscribers who have already registered their SIM cards with their service provider to register afresh.
He also challenged the requirement of natural persons who wish to register as mobile telephone service subscribers to submit to their photographs being taken, processed and retained as a precondition of such registration.
Kenyans had been rushing to various telco outlets in a bid to beat the April 15 deadline, with long queues witnessed in different parts of the country.
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