Rose Lukalo-Owino

A Kenyan by the name Elias Wekesa has taken Safaricom to court, and every Kenyan should pay attention. He says Safaricom deactivated his line after it stayed inactive for a few months, then reassigned it to another person. When he tried using it again, he was met with a shock. The number was gone. Worse, he says he could no longer receive OTPs from his bank and other platforms tied to that number. This case matters because it touches every Kenyan. Because your phone number is no longer just a number. It is tied to your bank account. Your email. Your work accounts. Your private life. The moment that number is handed to someone else, the risks begin. OTPs can go elsewhere. Recovery codes can land in another person’s hands. Account alerts can reach a stranger. That person is not just holding a SIM card. They may be holding access to parts of your digital life. And if they have bad intentions, the damage can be immediate. And for families who have lost loved ones, it cuts even deeper. A parent’s number. A sibling’s number. A loved one’s number. One day, it holds memories. The next day, it belongs to a stranger. This is why Safaricom must be forced to create stronger safeguards before reassigning numbers. Because in today’s world, a phone number is not disposable. It is identity. And identity should never be reassigned without protection.