Banking customers in Kenya are not switching over fast enough to chip-and-PIN card technology, despite a deadline to do so having elapsed almost a month ago.

This is according to the Kenya Bankers Association (KBA) chief executive Habil Olaka.

On March 31 all Kenyan banks were required to migrate to the more secure Europay, Mastercard and Visa (EMV) inter-operation or chip-and-PIN system, as cards that use magnetic stripes are deemed to be vulnerable to crimes such as skimming by fraudsters.

But Olaka added that magnetic strip cards have continued to be accepted for payment in the country, making it harder for the banks to enforce regulations.

“The pressure on banks is; therefore, to ensure that the cards that are magnetic strip are withdrawn from circulation by issuing the customer with the compliant card,” Olaka said.

“There might be a bit of information that consumers may not be aware of, hence the need for a one month-long campaign,” he continued.

“One of the things we may have to consider, though this has not been agreed yet, is how to disable these old cards from the system,” added Olaka.

70% of the 11.5 million cards in circulation in Kenya are currently EMV compliant, and banks have been under pressure to ensure that they reach 100% compliance, almost one month after the March 31 deadline elapsed.

Meanwhile, Equity Bank has reported that it has already issued three EMV million cards, representing a 60% compliance out of its five million cards in circulation.