The Chief Executive
Officers of Kenya’s four mobile phone operators have confirmed that all
subscribers on their networks are registered as police probe into the alleged
illegal sale of unregistered phone lines.
The CEO’s issued a
joint statement to the press and monitored by DigitalSENSE Business News after a local local
media, quoting the cabinet minister for information technology, reported they
could face arrest over use of unregistered cell phone lines.
The minister’s
comment followed an attack at the Westgate shopping mall in the capital, where
at least 67 people were killed last month after the security camera footage of
the attackers inside the mall, released by the Kenyan military showed one of the attackers from the Somali
militants al Shabaab group speaking on a mobile phone.
The industry
regulator, Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) at a news
conference attended by the Police boss David
Kimaiyo hinted that some operators were
selling and activating mobile phone lines without registering users contrary to
regulations, thereby fuelling speculation the crackdown is linked to the
Westgate attack.
The CEO’s joint
statement also said “The mobile operators continue to maintain and update a
registered subscriber base of over 30 million mobile phone users.”
DigitalSENSE Business News recorded that Safaricom
is the biggest operator in the market, which also features Bharti Airtel, Orange
SA and India’s Essar Telecoms, while Kenyan regulations require all operators
to register mobile phone line users to help curb phone-based crimes.
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