Your Safaricom, Airtel line is officially your digital identity as High Court bans phone number recycling
Kenya’s High Court rules phone numbers are personal data, limiting SIM recycling and forcing Safaricom and Airtel to add strict safeguards to protect users from fraud and identity risks...
✨ Key Highlights
The High Court of Kenya has ruled that registered mobile phone numbers are official digital identities, banning the controversial practice of SIM card recycling by telecommunication companies like Safaricom and Airtel.
- Your registered mobile number is now considered protected under Article 31 (c) and (d) of the Kenyan Constitution, safeguarding your right to privacy.
- Telecommunication companies must now obtain verifiable consent from the previous owner, issue public notice with a waiting period, or implement technical safeguards before reassigning a number, with a six-month ultimatum for the Office of the Attorney General to implement these measures.
- This landmark decision aims to prevent the previously common issues of new SIM card owners receiving sensitive data or facing access problems to crucial online accounts linked to recycled numbers.
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High Court Rules Registered Phone Numbers Are Official Digital Identities - March 2026
The High Court of Kenya has ruled that registered mobile phone numbers are official digital identities, banning the controversial practice of SIM card recycling by telecommunication companies like Safaricom and Airtel. Meanwhile, Google is implementing a new 24-hour waiting period for installing applications from unverified developers on Android devices, a move criticized for hindering user freedom. Separately, the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly to amend the Artificial Intelligence Act, banning AI systems capable of generating explicit images of real people, targeting platforms like Elon Musk's Grok.
