COMMUNICATIONS AUTHORITY BANS 21 PHONE BRANDS

The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has banned 21 mobile phone brands from the Kenyan market and ordered all vendors to stop selling them at once.

In a notice issued Monday, the Authority warned the public against buying these phones, saying they have not passed the required safety checks.

“We evaluate all Information and Communications Technology (ICT) equipment against established benchmarks for user safety, electromagnetic compatibility, and compliance with both domestic and international technical specifications,” the Authority stated.

According to the regulator, recent checks found that more shops are selling phones that have not been approved. These phones could put users at risk.

TINSIK, BUNDY, X.ODA, REALFONE, QQMEE, SMBA, F+, U-FM, Q-SEVEN, FONROX, CHATADA, UGBAD, MEZ, SUPERX, FT, NEMOJO, MOMOFLY, RAENO, VUE, WR and SWITCH.

The CA said vendors must not sell these phones. It also advised buyers to only purchase from licensed dealers listed on the CA website.

Members of the public have been advised to undertake two verification steps prior to purchasing mobile devices: First, consumers should consult the Authority’s digital portal, which maintains an updated register of both approved and rejected equipment models.

Second, purchasers may authenticate individual devices by dialling *#06# to generate the unit’s unique 15-digit International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI). This identifier should be transmitted via SMS to short code 1555 for immediate verification. The same authentication service is accessible at no cost through the CA website.