Mugonyi said the Procedures and Technical Safeguards for Deactivation and Recycling of Inactive Mobile Numbers, 2026 require all mobile service providers to exhaust available contact details in their databases before deactivating a number.

📻 Breaking It Down

The safeguards also require operators to issue a generic public notice for numbers that have remained inactive for more than six months and are due for deactivation and recycling.

“The notice includes a USSD means for all members of the public to check the status of their numbers in case they are among those affected, in cases where they may not be sure,” Mr Mugonyi told the committee.

The new framework follows concerns over the manner in which inactive mobile numbers have previously been deactivated and reassigned.

📌 What You Need to Know

The committee was considering a petition by Thomas Kerongo, who alleged that Safaricom had been deactivating SIM cards after six months of inactivity and subsequently reallocating the numbers without giving affected customers adequate notice.

The CA said the new safeguards were developed after a March 2026 High Court ruling that directed the Government, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, to establish measures against arbitrary deactivation and reassignment of inactive mobile numbers.

The authority had earlier subjected the proposed safeguards to public consultation before finalising the framework.

The provision covers people who are seriously ill, incarcerated, travelling for extended periods or otherwise unable to access their phones.

For prisoners, the Commissioner-General of Prisons can notify mobile service providers and request that numbers belonging to inmates serving sentences of more than six months be protected from recycling.

The CA said similar protections can apply to people in remand and those who are incapacitated, provided the authorised person presents the required evidence.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya