- Safaricom has today switched off sim cards for unregistered customers
- The move has resulted in a nationwide uproar from safaricom customers whose sim cards were switched off.
- Among the affected are notable Kenyans including lawyer Ahmed Nasir
Details
Kenya’s leading Telco company Nairobi has today switched sim cards of Kenyans who did not register as required by the communications authority of Kenya. Those who had not updated their registration details were also affected despite earlier registering their sim cards at the time of buying.
Among the Kenyans whose sim cards were switched off were notable Kenyans personalities including city lawyer Ahmed Nasir. The move has cause an uproar from Kenyans on social media especially Twitter. In a post in his twitter account, Nasir complained of the move to close Kenya’s sim cards including his noting that he has so far been a loyal customer to Safaricom for the past twenty years.
The move to close simcards by safaricom and other Telco companies in Kenya was reached after directives from the communications authority of Kenya. Early this 2022, the communications authority had issued directives to Telco providers in Kenya to ensure their users were registered as per the authorities guidelines. This prompted safaricom Telco providers to update their sim card registration details requirement and asked their customers to confirm and update their registration details.
Unregistered sim card were to be switched off on 4th of April 2022. It was however postponed to 15th October 2022 to allow Kenyans time to update their details. After hot criticism to the Telco company, safaricom unlocked lawyer Nasir’s sim card today. However the rest of Kenyans whose sim cards have been locked are still in the dark on what move to take next.
The big question remains, who is to blame for the closure of sim cards today, is it Kenyans, the communications authority or Telco providers?