By OKUTTAH MARK, mokuttah@ke.nationmedia.com
In Summary
- Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan are seeking to link the SIM card registration system with their national identification (ID) databases.
- The four states believe that putting in place a harmonised SIM card registration regulation will help curb public security concerns.
Kenya and its East African (EA) landlocked neighbours
have started the process of barring all unregistered SIM cards from
networks as they move to curb crime perpetuated through mobile phones.
Telecommunication regulators from Uganda, Rwanda and South
Sudan met in Nairobi on Thursday to establish the legal and technical
framework for harmonising SIM card registration in the region.
The four states are seeking to link the SIM card registration system with their national identification (ID) databases.
Apart from Kenya that has outlawed sale of
pre-activated SIM cards and put in place registration regulations in
2012, the other three states are at different stages in legislating and
implementing SIM registration.
The four states believe that putting in place a
harmonised SIM card registration regulation will help curb public
security concerns including the use of mobile handsets to facilitate
kidnaps, fraud, terrorism, drug trafficking, and money laundering, among
others.
Francis Wangusi, the director-general Communication
Authority of Kenya (CA), said reported cases of criminals buying SIM
cards from the neighbouring countries and using them to commit crime in
the country were on the rise.
“Given the ease in movement of persons within the
region, isolated registration efforts would not be effective enough as
criminals can obtain SIM cards from countries that do not register and
cross over to countries with registration requirements, hence
circumventing and defeating the objectives of registration,” Mr Wangusi
said.
“It is imperative that we put in place concerted
efforts to address existing gaps, including tightening the border points
to limit entry of counterfeit phones that have become popular with
criminal gangs,” he added.
Kenya is leading its partners on formulating SIM
registration regulations. Anyone found using an unregistered SIM card is
liable to a fine of Sh300,000 or be jailed for six months.
Additionally, a person found to have given false
information to operators while registering a SIM card is liable to a
Sh100,000 file or a six-month jail term.
Mobile operators’ agents found to have sold
unregistered SIM cards will part with Sh500,000 or face a 12-month jail
term if found guilty of committing the offence.
A mobile subscriber is, however, not liable for any
crime committed using a SIM card registered in their name if they can
prove that they were not in control of the medium when the activities
were being carried out.
Kenya has also put in place advanced systems including linkage to the database of national registration of persons.
Uganda is in the process of putting a legal and
regulatory framework to link the SIM card registration with its national
ID data while Rwanda has completed the process. South Sudan is awaiting
for the Civil Registry Bill that is before Parliament to be enacted
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