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Kenya is set to switch off all uncertified mobile phones in the country by the end of September in an effort to curb security threats and halt the illegal trade of counterfeit phones, officials said Wednesday (September 18th).

The ban will affect devices that do not have an International Mobile Equipment Identity code -- the 15-digit number that identifies each mobile device and facilitates their traceability.

"All counterfeit handsets shall be switched off on September 30th this year," Communication Commission of Kenya (CCK) Director General Francis Wangusi said at a press conference in Nairobi. "There shall be no further extension of this deadline. We have followed all required channels in implementing the directive and the public has had enough time to comply and look for alternative certified gadgets."

He said the commission previously conducted a three-month public awareness campaign as advised by a technical team comprising officials from CCK, other government agencies, manufacturers and mobile phone operators in Kenya charged with supervising the transition.

In accordance with the Kenya Information and Communications Regulations of 2010, all mobile devices entering the country must be certified to be operational. Contravention of this statute can lead to a fine not exceeding 300,000 shillings ($3,500), imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or both.

Wangusi said illegal phones not only pose security threats, but also violate manufacturers' intellectual property rights. In addition, these devices are not subjected to the same safety standards as other handsets, posing undue risk to consumers, he said.

Registering all mobile phones in Kenya will enable better monitoring and tracking of mobile phones, he said.

"This enables [police to easily] track down those using mobile phones to commit crimes, protect consumers and safeguard the gains made so far in the mobile telecommunications industry, particularly in regard to mobile money payment systems, which is difficult to do now when we have unregistered handsets operating within our networks," Wangusi said.

"The phones also cause network disruptions. They do not connect seamlessly with network providers, causing network congestion and dropped calls," Wangusi said.

10% of phones in Kenya are counterfeit

In addition, 3.3 billion shillings ($38.5 million) is lost annually in tax revenues on sale of counterfeit handsets, according to Kenya's Anti-Counterfeit Authority.

According to the regulator, close to three million mobile phones -- or 10% of all active mobile devices in the country -- are counterfeit.

For Albert Maina, a mobile phone dealer with an electronics shop on Luthuli Avenue in downtown Nairobi, the enforcement of the regulations represents a loss. He said he did not think the government was serious when it issued the directive, so he just replenished his stock a month ago.

"I am confused about what to do with the stock that I just brought in few days ago," he told Sabahi. "It will be a miracle if they can sell out in ten days, but unfortunately even the ones we will be selling to will be disconnected before they get the value for their money."

He said counterfeit phones appeal to low-income consumers who need to communicate but cannot afford a 25,000-shilling ($300) handset, which is how much a genuine product sold at high-end electronics shops can cost.

"We do not know what the government considers genuine or fake because the products we sell here have the same entry point with those they regard as original," Maina said, displaying the Kenya Bureau Standards mark affixed to one of the handsets.

One of Maina's customers, Ann Wanjira, says she prefers the counterfeit phones because they are affordable and have features similar to those found on brand name handsets.

"I know they are not genuine," she told Sabahi. "But so far, my handset, whose name I do not even know, has served me for three years. I can take and share photos, listen to the radio, and browse the internet -- but I only paid 3,200 shillings ($40) and an original equivalent goes for about 18,000 shillings ($225)."