Deadline for Kenya SIM card registration extended
Close to eight million SIM cards could have been rendered useless had the government not extended the registration deadline to August 30 this year.
Information and communication permanent secretary Bitange Ndemo said that only 62 percent of the estimated 20 million subscribers had so far complied with the government directive with the initioal deadline expected to expire on Friday.
And as is oftentimes the case with Kenyans when it comes to procrastination, despite having a whole month to register their SIM cards most of them jammed registration centers to beat the deadline.
But the government came to their rescue with a 31 day extension notice.
Market leader Safaricom registered the highest number of SIM cards at 71 percent of its 12 million customers while Zain was second with 54 percent of its 1.03 million subscribers registered according to Ndemo.
The government is creating the register of SIM card owners with names and personal details to help authorities rein in the growing high-tech crime rate.
Ndemo said it was now criminal for telecommunication operators to register new subscribers without identification documents.
Last year, President Mwai Kibaki directed mobile phone operators to register their customers to boost national security and reduce phone related crimes.
