Kenya’s largest telco, Safaricom, has bowed to pressure from Kenyans and opened an online portal for SIM card registration.
The move comes on the deadline day issued by the Communication Authority of Kenya (CA), requiring Kenyans to register their SIM cards afresh.
Safaricom, which boasts of over 40 million subscribers countrywide, had been asking Kenyans to physically present themselves to their shops and agents for registration.
This is unlike Telkom Kenya and Airtel Kenya which have been allowing their customers to submit their details online.
On the portal, subscribers will be asked to enter their phone numbers, after which they will be given a one-time password (OTP) which they will use to log in.
The portal will return the numbers registered under their ID number. They will then be required to upload a documentary proof that the ID is theirs, which in this case involves an ID copy or passport.
IT CS Joe Mucheru had earlier ruled out the possibility of extending the deadline for registration, following long queues in some parts of the country as Kenyans sought to beat the deadline.
“This directive was given two years ago not now. Why is it that people now want the deadline to be extended? It is the same challenges we had during voter registration. This registration will ensure that we will have more safety and security for our citizens,” Mucheru said.
However, on Friday, April 15, 2022, CA announced the extension of the SIM card registration deadline by six months to October 15, 2022.
