The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has tightened safeguards governing the deactivation and recycling of inactive mobile numbers, requiring telecom operators to give subscribers more time and notice before their numbers are reassigned.
The new measures come after a High Court ruling that directed the State Law Office, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, to establish safeguards against what the court described as the risk of “unfettered deactivation” and arbitrary reassignment of inactive mobile numbers.
The CA says the new procedures are particularly important because mobile numbers have evolved beyond ordinary communication tools and now play a critical role in financial services and digital authentication.
“Numbering, naming, addressing, and identification (NNAI) resources have become of value in financial services, digital authentication for online services, and, to a large extent, acting as digital identities,” the authority says in its response to Public Petition No. 24 of 2026.
The safeguards affect mobile network operators, including Safaricom PLC, which was the subject of the public petition before Parliament.
CA sets three-month notification process
Under the new procedures, telecom operators are required to make sustained efforts to reach subscribers whose numbers have remained inactive before the numbers can eventually be recycled.
The CA says service providers must use available contacts collected during the Know Your Customer (KYC) process to contact subscribers whose numbers have been detected to be continuously inactive for more than three months.
“The contact and notification are done for a period of three months,” the authority says.
The authority further requires mobile operators to issue a generic public notice where they intend to deactivate and recycle numbers that have been inactive for more than six months.
“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,” the CA says.
The requirement gives subscribers an additional opportunity to establish whether their numbers are due for deactivation before they are returned to the pool for reassignment.
Sick and jailed subscribers can protect numbers
The new framework also addresses situations where subscribers may be unable to use their mobile numbers for extended periods.
The CA says subscribers who are sick, travelling, incarcerated or otherwise incapacitated can seek to have their numbers protected from recycling.
“A subscriber or a person legally authorised to act on behalf of a subscriber” can request whitelisting where the subscriber is likely to be unable to use the number within six months.
The authority has made specific provisions for prisoners.
Under the guidelines, the Commissioner of Prisons is required to write to service providers and notify them about numbers belonging to inmates who are incarcerated for more than six months.
“The said whitelisting therefore covers those who are sick, incarcerated, in remand, or deceased, provided the authorised person provides evidence when requesting for whitelisting,” the CA says.
The provision is significant for subscribers who could previously risk losing a number simply because they could not use it for an extended period.
CA moves to protect data linked to recycled numbers
The authority has also addressed concerns over what happens to information associated with a number after it is reassigned to another subscriber.
The issue is important because mobile numbers are increasingly connected to financial accounts, online platforms and authentication services.
The CA says the guidelines require service providers to make attempts to reach the affected subscriber through alternative channels, including email, social media accounts and alternative numbers supplied during the KYC process.
The authority says these efforts can continue for up to three months.
“Upon unsuccessful contact, all the data associated with the number are delinked, archived, and retained in line with any applicable laws of data retention,” the CA says.
The safeguards are intended to prevent information belonging to a former subscriber from being exposed to a new owner of the recycled number.
High Court ruling triggered new safeguards
The CA’s latest position follows Constitutional Petition No. E290 of 2024, filed at the Milimani High Court on June 10, 2024.
The petition sought, among other orders, recognition of a mobile number as a person’s digital identity, similar to identifiers such as a national ID, passport or driving licence.
In its ruling of March 19, 2026, the court directed the State Law Office, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, to put measures in place to prevent arbitrary deactivation and reassignment of inactive mobile numbers.
The CA says the court directed the measures to be developed within six months of the ruling.
In response, the authority developed the “Procedures and technical safeguards for deactivation and recycling of inactive mobile numbers, 2026” to guide service providers.
The procedures identify triggers for recycling, provide notification periods, create electronic means for checking the status of numbers and allow subscribers to seek protection from recycling.
CA says safeguards protect consumers
The authority says the new framework responds to concerns surrounding communication, financial services, privacy and digital security as mobile numbers become increasingly important in people’s daily lives.
The CA says it will “continually monitor the implementation” of the procedures and safeguards and improve them in line with technological developments, legal and regulatory requirements and consumer interests.
The changes mean an inactive number is no longer simply a dormant communication line awaiting reassignment. Under the new framework, telecom operators must take defined steps to notify subscribers, provide mechanisms to check the status of numbers and protect numbers in specific circumstances before recycling them.
For Kenyan mobile users, the biggest shift is the recognition that a phone number can now carry consequences far beyond calls and text messages particularly where it is connected to financial services and digital authentication.
