The government has banned the importation and sale of mobile phones with lower than 24 hours of battery life when on standby mode, less than eight hours of talk time and lack a physical manual.
The ban initiated by the Communication Authority of Kenya (CA) took effect on May 15. According to the Gazette Notice that announced the new rules, they are aimed at reducing the influx of fake gadgets into the country.
Upon importation, samples of mobile phones must first be sent to CA for testing and approval before they are distributed.
“Test reports submitted in the Type Approval process as evidence of conformance to these guidelines shall be from a test laboratory accredited under the International Laboratory Accreditation Co-operation (ILAC),” reads the CA guidelines in part.
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This comes two years after the government switched off mobile phones in the country that had not been registered and regulated by the goverment.
The rules also require vendors to provide a one year warranty and two-year after-sale service for every device sold and only licensed telecommunication vendors will be allowed to import and distribute mobile phones.
The laws are set to protect consumers from explosion and radiation caused by phones made with unstable materials such as mercury, arsenic, cobalt and others.
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