Telecommunication companies in Kenya are required to register subscribers according to the regulations set out in the Communications Act and the SIM Card Registration Regulations of 2015.
Amongst other requirements, this law mandates the telcos to record the full names and the national identity card number for all persons that register a new SIM Card on their network.
Where an individual has no national ID, an Alien ID, Passport, Service card or East African ID can be used instead.
The law further equires the operators to keep a record of these data and submit it to the Communications Authority on a quartely basis.
In an effort to comply with this law and weed out illegal registrations responsioble for the rising cases of fraud, the three major operators launched a verfification drive in August 2021.
This drive allows existing Safaricom, Airtel and Telkom Kenya to check all the phone numbers that are registered to their identification documents through USSD.
Select your network operator below to view the steps on how to do this:
- Check registered mobile numbers on Safaricom
- Check registered mobile numbers on Airtel Kenya
- Check registered mobile numbers on Telkom Kenya
Check registered mobile numbers on Safaricom
You can access Safaricom’s number query service only through your Primary Number.
Your primary Safaricom number is the oldest and most active number that is registered to your National ID on their network, i.e. your first registered Safaricom number that is still active.
If you only have one Safaricom SIM card, then that one is your primary number. However, if you’ve multiple Safaricom numbers registered to your National ID, then you need to use the oldest one that is still active.
You can change the primary number by visiting a Safaricom shop near you.
Once you’ve identified your primary number, use it to complete the steps below:
- Dial *106#.
- Select the option Check my Numbers.
- You will then get a reply and SMS with a list of Safaricom numbers that are registered to your National ID.
Check registered mobile numbers on Airtel Kenya
- Dial *106# using an Airtel number.
- Choose the National ID option, or one of the other options if you registered using a different document.
- Enter your ID number and submit.
- You’ll then get an SMS with a list of Airtel Kenya numbers that are registered to your National ID.
Check registered mobile numbers on Telkom Kenya
- Dial *106# using a number registered to your National ID.
- Select the option Numbers Registered under my ID.
- You will then get a reply and SMS with a list of Telkom numbers that are registered to your National ID.
De-register Unknown Numbers
If after querying the service you notice an unknown number, you need to deregister it immediately from your identification document. To do that, visit the nearest shop of the respective network with your original National ID.
You can also report unknown numbers on the *106# menu on Safaricom and Telkom.
