NAIROBI, Kenya – The Kenyan government just hit another roadblock in its attempt to enforce mandatory IMEI registration.
On Friday, the High Court extended its order barring the implementation of a controversial directive requiring Kenyans to register their International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers when bringing a phone into the country.
The ruling, delivered by Justice Chacha Mwita, means the government will have to wait four more months before taking any further steps toward enforcing the regulation.
The decision follows a legal challenge from Katiba Institute, a lobby group that argues the directive is not only unconstitutional but also poses serious privacy risks.
Update:Orders extended; judgment to be delivered on 4 July 2025On 21 March 2025, Katiba Institute team (@joshuamalidzo and @bjuma160 ) was before Justice Chacha Mwita to highlight submissions in HCCRPET/647/2024, challenging the publication of notice by the Communications
Privacy Concerns and the Surveillance Debate
The heart of the issue? Mass surveillance fears.
The policy, championed by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) and the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), would require mobile phone importers, manufacturers, and even travelers entering Kenya to declare and register IMEI numbers.
The CA had also planned to restrict mobile networks from connecting devices that aren’t on the approved list.
But Katiba Institute isn’t buying it. In a petition filed on November 22, 2025, the group argued that this move would allow authorities unchecked access to mobile user data, potentially tracking individuals’ movements and monitoring communications without proper safeguards.
“Without transparency on who controls the IMEI database and how the data is protected, this amounts to the government granting itself surveillance powers it does not legally have,” Katiba Institute stated in its submission.
An IMEI number is a unique identifier embedded in a phone’s hardware.
While it’s commonly used for tracking lost or stolen devices, security experts warn that, in the wrong hands, it can pinpoint a device’s location within 100 meters and even provide insights into a person’s call and data history.
This isn’t the first time Justice Mwita has stepped in to pause the rollout.
Back in December 2024, the court had already placed a temporary block on the directive, extending it to February 2025—only for the government to delay its response, pushing the case further.
