SIM card activation and deactivation has become the treading news in Kenya after the attack in the West-gate shopping mall.
This has created a possible judgment that the West-gate terrorist could have used unregistered SIM cards as a mode of communication prior as well as during the attack.
Police investigating the terror attack lack information on the people who bought the SIM cards and that information would have assisted with their investigations in to the attack.
Wangusi could not confirm if the mall attackers did in fact make use of unregistered SIM cards.
“We were not officially alerted that the mall attackers used unregistered Sims. We also heard that from the media,” he said.
However the four major mobile service operators are claiming that they have complied with regulations set forth by the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK), which was dismissed by the regulatory body.
“We are putting sustained pressure on the four mobile companies to switch off unregistered Sims and if they don’t, we will go to the last resort of suspending their licenses,” said CCK director general Francis Wangusi.
In the course of the week, the CEO’s of the four mobile network operators were questioned by CID detectives over the alleged violation of SIM Card registration.
“We have arrested and prosecuted a number of vendors who were selling these SIM cards and we summoned the CEOs of these firms to explain what they have done to stop the crime,” said Kenya’s director of the criminal investigations department (cid) ndegwa muhoro.
At this point in time it is wise not to point fingers instead carry on with the investigations, but the issue of unregistered SIM cards cannot afford to be overlooked.