It’s common for every Safaricom subscriber to be bothered by messages from the telco throughout the day. However, many users are receiving a notification that seems to be quite strange and now has people questioning its purpose.

If you are among the numbers, you have most probably seen a feedback message asking you to visit a Safaricom Shop. The agenda of the visit is to update your SIM registration. The message looks something like this:

“Dear Customer, urgently visit a Safaricom Shop, Dealer or Agent with original ID to update your SIM registration. Dial *106# for lines registered to your ID,” the message reads.

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Safaricom is Still Asking You To Update Your SIM Registration Details

Normally, this would have anyone wondering what it means. It also begs the question of why do Safaricom need to update information that they already have. However, it looks like the update is a process that goes beyond Safaricom as it is a requirement from the industry’s regulator.

A source close to Safaricom told Gadgets Africa, this is actually a process led by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA). Essentially, Safaricom wants to make sure that all lines are connected to the right person.

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“All mobile operators are verifying that all customers have required registration documents attached to all their lines. As part of the process, some customers will be contacted to visit any of our registration points as stated with their ID to confirm their registered lines.” the source told Gadgets Africa.

I got the same message and during my visit they

• Showed me how many lines are registered under my ID Number
• Took a picture of my ID
• Took a picture of me

It’s not clear what will happen if one does not update their details. Either way, it would be in your best interest to just visit a Safaricom Shop and do so.