In November 2025, a strange rumour spread among mobile phone users in Kenya. People said the government required more than just an ID card to register a SIM card. They claimed the government wanted your blood type, your fingerprints, and even your DNA. This sounded like a scene from a science fiction movie: you’d go to a Safaricom or Airtel shop to buy a line and leave only after giving a biological sample.
Panic quickly spread on social media. Privacy advocates warned about government surveillance, and everyday people feared that owning a phone might mean losing their privacy. But the truth was hidden in complicated government documents.
Why People Panicked
The issue started when some people reviewed the Kenya Information and Communications (Registration of Telecommunications Service Subscribers) Regulations, 2025. These new rules are aimed at improving how phone numbers are registered to prevent fraud. They noticed something concerning on Page 2.
The regulations defined “Biometric Data” too broadly, including:
- Fingerprints
- Retinal scans
- Voice patterns
- Blood typing
- DNA analysis
- Earlobe geometry
When this list appeared online, people misunderstood it. They thought it meant the government was going to collect this data, leading to the scary idea that “the government requires your DNA to register a SIM card.”
The Regulator Responds: “We Don’t Want Your Blood”
Seeing the panic grow, the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), led by Director General David Mugonyi, quickly issued a denial on November 18, 2025. They stated that defining Biometric Data did not mean they planned to collect it.
The CA explained an important distinction. The broad definition was meant to prepare for future technology, not to indicate a current collection policy. The actual rules do not require telecom companies to collect DNA, blood, or anything else. “For the avoidance of doubt, the Authority has not issued any directive to licensees to collect biometric data from subscribers,” they said in a statement.
What Are the New Rules?
So, if they aren’t collecting blood or DNA, what is changing? The 2025 rules focus on cleaning up the issues of unregistered and fraudulently registered SIM cards, a big problem in Kenya, used for scams.
Here are the main changes:
- No More Proxies: You can’t register a SIM card for someone else anymore. The person using the line must be the one registered to it.
- Strict Rules for Minors: If a child needs a phone, the parent registers it. Once the child turns 18, they have 90 days to update the registration to their own ID, or the line will be cut off.
- Digital Linking: The rules require a stronger connection between your SIM card and your official government ID (like the Maisha Namba or National ID), making sure each active number is linked to a verified person.
Why Kenyans Believed the Rumour
You might wonder why so many people believed the government wanted their DNA. To understand this panic, we need to consider the context. Kenya has had issues with digital identity projects in the past. The Huduma Namba project faced strong opposition and legal disputes over privacy concerns.
Many Kenyans think that the government often tries to collect more data than it needs. So, when people saw “DNA analysis” in a legal document, it was easy to imagine the worst-case scenario.
What Happens Next?
For now, the CA has calmed the situation. Safaricom, Airtel, and Telkom Kenya will continue registering users with standard IDs and documents, not biological samples.
This incident teaches regulators an important lesson: precise legal language is important, but clear communication is even more crucial. In a time when people are anxious about technology, using a word like “DNA” in public policy without context can lead to misunderstandings.
To sum up: You can keep your SIM card, and you can keep your DNA. For now, at least.
