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Mobile phone users in Kenya will receive advance notifications before inactive SIM cards are deactivated and their numbers reassigned to other subscribers. The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) says new safeguards have been introduced to protect subscribers from losing their numbers without warning.
Operators Must Contact Inactive Subscribers
CA Director General David Mugonyi explained the new measures while appearing before the Public Petitions Committee at Parliament Buildings on Tuesday, October 6, 2026. Under the 2026 procedures, mobile operators must use available subscriber contacts collected during SIM card registration to reach affected customers.
The notification process applies to numbers that have remained continuously inactive for more than three months. Operators are required to make contact attempts over a three-month period before the numbers become eligible for deactivation and eventual recycling.
A general public notice must also be issued for numbers inactive for more than six months. The notice must provide a USSD option through which subscribers can check whether their numbers are affected.
Special Protection for Some Subscribers
Exceptions have also been provided for people who cannot use their SIM cards for extended periods because of illness, imprisonment, travel or other circumstances. Such subscribers, or people legally authorised to represent them, may request that their numbers be placed on a protected list.
For inmates expected to remain in prison for more than six months, the Commissioner of Prisons is required to notify mobile operators so their numbers can be whitelisted. This measure is intended to prevent numbers from being recycled simply because their owners cannot use them.
CA Cites Gaps in SIM Registration
Mugonyi also pointed to incomplete subscriber information as one of the challenges affecting efforts to reach inactive customers. Some subscribers reportedly fail to provide alternative phone numbers, email addresses or other contact details during registration.
He said registration agents also contribute to the problem when they fail to insist on collecting all the required information. These missing details can make it difficult for operators to notify customers before their numbers are deactivated.
The Authority maintains that existing laws and registration regulations provide a framework for collecting subscriber information. The new procedures are intended to strengthen the notification process and improve the management of inactive mobile numbers.
Subscribers who expect to be unable to use their numbers for more than six months should contact their service providers to ask about the available protection procedures.
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