The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has announced that mobile phones failing to comply with government tax requirements will be barred from connecting to any mobile networks in the country.
This new regulation, effective January 1, 2025, aims to enhance tax compliance monitoring for both imported and locally assembled mobile devices.
In an official notice, the CA stated that the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) will track all mobile phones to ensure manufacturers and distributors adhere to tax regulations.
All stakeholders including local assemblers, importers, retailers, wholesalers, and mobile network operators must ensure they distribute only tax-compliant devices.
This process requires uploading the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers of each mobile device to the KRA portal for monitoring purposes.
“To uphold integrity and ensure tax compliance for mobile devices in Kenya, the Authority advises all stakeholders involved in the local assembly, importation, distribution, and connection of mobile devices to networks that new requirements will take effect on January 1, 2025,” the CA stated.
Mobile network operators are tasked with connecting only those devices that pass verification against a whitelist database of compliant devices, which will be maintained by the CA.
Additionally, all mobile phone importers, regardless of the purpose sales, testing, or research must include the IMEI numbers of their devices in import documentation submitted to the KRA.
The CA also specified that operators would be responsible for creating a gray list of non-compliant devices, which must be regularized within a set timeframe, or else these devices will face blacklisting.
The new regulation will apply to all devices imported or assembled in Kenya starting November 1, 2024, while existing devices on mobile networks as of October 31, 2024, will be exempt from these restrictions.
This crackdown follows recent comments by Senior Government Advisor Moses Kuria, who indicated that the government intends to target phones imported without proper tax documentation, preventing their activation on any network.
The CA is responsible for regulating telecommunications, e-commerce, and various other services in Kenya, and aims to ensure compliance through this initiative.
