Connectivity — Kenya
What travelers need to know about connectivity in Kenya. What is legal at home can be a serious crime here — each rule links to its official source.
Connectivity in Kenya: allowed only under specific conditions.
You cannot buy an anonymous SIM in Kenya - every SIM must be registered to an identified subscriber before it works. A visitor registers with a valid passport or a Foreign National Registration Certificate (Registration of Telecommunications Services Subscriber Regulations 2025, reg. 5(d)); registering the subscriber is the operator's or agent's legal duty, not optional (reg. 4(1)). The 2025 regulations set no expiry tied to your visa or entry permit. Where an operator issues a compliance notice and it goes unanswered, the SIM is deactivated after 90 days (regs. 16-17). Roaming on your home SIM avoids Kenyan registration entirely.
Contravening the Regulations - including giving false registration information (reg. 11(3)) or registering a SIM without verification (reg. 7(3)) - carries a fine of up to KSh 1,000,000 or imprisonment of up to 6 months, or both (reg. 20(2)).
§ Communications Authority of Kenya - Kenya Gazette Supplement No. 73, The Kenya Information and Communications (Registration of Telecommunications Services Subscriber) Regulations, 2025Verified Sep 17, 2026