Kenya wants to make the sale of unregistered mobile phone SIMs a criminal offence for both agents that sell the cards as well as the customers who buy them.

The Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) is reviewing its SIM card registration regulations, as currently only mobile operators face legal consequences for illegally selling unregistered SIM cards in the country.

The regulator has said it is reviewing regulations gazetted in January this year.

The spotlight is on Kenya’s SIM card registration process following allegations by Kenyan police that Somali-based al Shabaab attackers used unregistered SIM cards to communicate during their devastating siege on the upmarket Nairobi Westgate shopping complex late last month.

Following the controversy, Kenyan government officials have said that chief executives of mobile operators in the country could face arrest over the sale of unregistered lines.

But mobile operators swiftly moved to disconnect unregistered lines amid the government pressure.

“It is only through an enhanced set of the subscriber registration regulations that we will hold any agent selling pre-activated SIM cards as well as subscribers that use SIM cards without registering their personal details with mobile operators liable,” said CCK director general Francis Wangusi.

Despite more stringent regulations not being in place to prosecute agents, the CCK and law enforcers have in recent weeks nevertheless been arresting culprits for selling SIM cards to customers without taking their personal details.

A subscriber has to produce their identity particulars and proof of residence to be registered on a particular network.

There are over 29 million mobile subscribers in Kenya, according to the CCK.