Grey handset users in Kenya have turned to the social networking sites to express their frustrations on the ongoing “Fake phone switch off” directed by the industry regulator Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK).
In June this year, the CCK announced it would paralyze all fake Phones in the country to facilitate smooth tracking of high insecurity cases arising in the mobile industry.
The exercises begun today, leading mobile service provider across the nation Safaricom has noted that the process will take place in phases, after blacklisting all bogushandsets then the mobile operator would share the data with other operators in the industry .
Through facebook DaddyOwen Mwatia said, “ Wassup with my phone? Ths is wat i saw b4 it went off 义务教育法又惊又喜…any1 who knows chinese?’’
Mary Pascal says,“Sobbing……once again am bila fone,cld have known i cld have bot an original model in the first place,..i tried to stop 30th from coming but lol!!!”
Bishop Mugambi thinks for a prompt solution, “If for only 300/= a software can be installed in a fake mobile phone so that it can be reflected as an original brand in the operators’ systems….what’s all the commotion about?”
Consumer International executive Samuel Ochieng said ,“The operation is going to cause financial, economical and social stress to an already overburden society and they must be compensated by taking their phones to the dealers who will give them genuine phones after producing receipts.”
He however was suspicious with the process of compensation since majority of people don’t have receipts.
Earlier on, Kenya’s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communication, Dr. Bitange Ndemosaid: “In this era of mobile banking, use of counterfeit devices, which are manufactured without due consideration to the recognized security standards, may expose our mobile money systems as well as the wider banking and financial system to unnecessary risks.
ddquo;The Government cannot allow this to happen and thus our decision to have all unregistered SIM cards and counterfeit handset mobile phones phased out by 30th September 2012,” Ndemo explained.
CCK’s director general Francis Wangusi commented that as the industry regulator, the CCK is mandated by law to protect consumers of communications services and in consultation with representatives from the four mobile operators, mobile phone manufacturers and relevant government ministries and agencies.
“we will continue to execute this mandate,” he said.
According to CCK close to 2.5 million subscribers in the country would be affected.
