SIM listing good move but haphazardly done
What you need to know:
- It is policy in most countries for mobile phone users to provide proof of identification as a precondition for the activation.
- Having millions of consumers flock registrations centres almost at the same time is impractical.
The push by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) to have all mobile SIM cards registered is a noble cause in mitigating insecurity. It is policy in most countries for mobile phone users to provide proof of identification as a precondition for the activation and use of a SIM card in their quest to alleviate security fears and address criminal and anti-social behaviour such as cyberbullying.
For Kenya, this is even more critical because of the huge integration of mobile money in the economy. The billions of shillings moved through platforms like M-Pesa, T-Kash and Airtel Money demand adequate security by sealing loopholes which crooks can use to engage in shadowy dealings that compromise the safety of depositors’ funds as well as the huge infrastructure investments made by the telcos. A lot of government services have also been migrated to digital platforms and it is critical that the identity of online users is verified.
The regulator set an April 15 deadline for all lines to be properly registered. By yesterday, the success rate was not clear, even though many subscribers thronged telcos’ service centres in a last-minute rush to comply. Regrettably, the messaging of this process wasn’t done properly, as evidenced by the confusing demands by some mobile service operators.
Some telcos demanded mandatory fresh registration of subscribers, contrary to the directive issued by the CA. This created room for negative political noise, a matter that would have been avoided with more robust and coordinated messaging.
The tight timeline for SIM card registrations is also a concern and the regulator should have won the goodwill of Kenyans by providing them with sufficient time to do so. Having millions of consumers flock registrations centres almost at the same time is impractical and works against the spirit of voluntary submission of a subscriber’s particulars. Telcos should also have eased the registration process by providing self-service online portals to maximise the count of registrations.
