Offenders caught providing false information when registering mobile SIM cards in Kenya face fines of Ksh100,000 or jail terms of six months.

This is according to the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK), which unveiled new rules and regulations in line with the Kenya Information Communication Act of 2013 that has been adopted by mobile operators.

Kenya has banned usage of non-registered SIM cards in the country in a bid to fight phone-related crimes.

But provision of false registration information is jeopardising the process, according to the CCK.

“We have enhanced the penalties to ensure that everyone, right from the mobile firms to the agent and the subscriber, is accountable,” said CCK director general Francis Wangusi at a briefing.

Mobile phone agents, who are charged with the responsibility of registering subscribers, also face fines of Ksh500,000 or jail terms of up to one year if they are found breaching the rules.

Mobile phone companies contravening the same also have to part with fines of up to Ksh 5 million, up from the current Ksh300,000 gazetted in January 2013.

However, Wangusi admitted that the CCK is facing challenges with enforcing the rules.

“We would not say that we are 100% foolproof and that everyone is registered,” said Wangusi.