Kenya enforces stricter phone number recycling from September 19, 2026
Effective Sept 19, 2026, Kenya’s Communications Authority introduces new rules forcing telecom operators to wait six months (three months inactivity + three months contact attempts) before deactivating a number, publish at-risk lists, and fully delete previous owner’s data before reassigning.
Prevents new recipients from accessing previous owner’s bank, government, or online accounts; gives subscribers more time to recover dormant numbers; offers exemptions for prisoners’ numbers and caregivers of medically indisposed persons; requires explicit opt-in for marketing messages on recycled numbers.
If you hold a Kenyan line, you now have a six-month window plus operator outreach before loss; caregivers can request a renewable one-year whitelist through prison or health authorities; businesses must obtain active opt-in via USSD before sending B2C SMS on new or recycled numbers; operators face compliance costs (newspaper ads KES 400,000-800,000 per placement) and must build secure archives per Kenya’s Data Protection Act. The central database for de-linked numbers will launch later, so third parties should update records once available.