# AI tells a visitor to Kenya that a prepaid SIM card can be activated without presenting identity documents

- **ID:** `communication/sim-card-registration-mandatory`
- **Domain:** communication
- **Category:** registration_requirement
- **Verification:** ai_generated
- **Fix Rate:** 90%

## Root Cause

Under the Kenya Information and Communications (Registration of SIM-Cards) Regulations, every SIM card - prepaid or postpaid, local or foreign national - must be registered with identity documents at the point of sale by a licensed operator or authorised agent. Foreign nationals must present an original valid passport (or alien card); a photocopy or phone photo is not the 'original' document the regulation requires. Unregistered or non-compliant SIMs face suspension after a notice period and eventual permanent deactivation, and knowingly false registration information is a criminal offence.

## Version Compatibility

| Version | Status | Introduced | Deprecated |
|---------|--------|------------|------------|
| any | active | — | — |

## Workarounds

1. **Buy a SIM in person at an official operator shop or authorised kiosk (including counters at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport arrivals) and present your original passport for on-the-spot registration.** (95% success)
2. **Keep your passport accessible for the duration of your stay, since operators periodically run compliance/re-verification exercises and can suspend a SIM after a notice period for unresolved registration issues.** (80% success)

## Dead Ends

- **Expect to buy a Safaricom, Airtel, or Telkom SIM in Kenya and use it right away without presenting ID, as anonymous prepaid SIMs work in some other countries** — Every SIM must be registered at the point of sale with the subscriber's full name, ID or passport number, date of birth, and address; only licensed telecom operators or their registered agents can carry out the registration and activation. A tourist must present an original valid passport - not a photocopy or a phone photo - because the regulation specifies the original document. (55% fail)
- **Use a SIM already registered under a friend, hotel, or tour operator's identity instead of registering one in your own name** — The regulation makes the registered subscriber the accountholder of record; foreign nationals are permitted to register their own SIM with a passport, so there is no practical barrier that would require borrowing someone else's. If that SIM is later flagged in a compliance sweep or the underlying registration is challenged, the person actually using it - not the visitor - is the one on record. (40% fail)
- **Assume registration can be completed later through an app or online self-service form after activating the SIM** — Registration is required in person, with original identity documents presented to the operator or an authorised agent at point of sale - it is not a self-certifying online step done after the fact. Operators are legally required to verify documents at registration, not on a delayed basis. (45% fail)