Kenyans acquired a record 5.7 million new mobile SIM cards in the three months to March 2026, pushing active mobile subscriptions to a new high of 84.1 million amid aggressive customer win-back campaigns by telecommunications operators.
Fresh data from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) shows active mobile subscriptions rose by 7.4 per cent during the quarter under review, up from 78.4 million recorded in December last year.
Customer win-back campaigns are marketing drives through which telecommunications firms attempt to reactivate SIM cards that have become inactive or are at risk of being abandoned by subscribers.
The drives typically target customers who have stopped using particular lines for calls, data or mobile money services, offering incentives aimed at encouraging them to resume activity on the network.
In recent months, operators have increasingly deployed sweeteners such as personalised data bundles, discounted voice packages, bonus airtime and loyalty rewards to lure back dormant subscribers and defend market share.
A subscriber holds a 4G Telkom SIM card.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
Safaricom, for instance, has periodically offered customised data and airtime packages to selected customers based on their usage history, while Airtel has intensified promotions around data pricing and free minutes.
Airtel has also unveiled a raft of network migration offers targeting rival subscribers, including the “Rudishiwa Cashback” promotion, where Airtel Money offers guaranteed 50 per cent cash back, awarded as airtime on transaction fees.
The increase in SIM card registrations marks the largest quarterly jump ever recorded in Kenya, underscoring the intensifying competition among mobile operators for subscribers in an increasingly saturated market.
The surge has pushed Kenya’s mobile penetration rate to 157.7 per cent from 149.5 per cent three months earlier.
A mobile phone user displays a Safaricom simcard after registration.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
The growth comes despite ongoing regulatory efforts to clean up subscriber records and enforce stricter SIM registration requirements intended to enhance security and curb misuse of mobile services.
“Active mobile subscriptions grew by 7.4 per cent to 84.1 million. Consequently, the mobile penetration rate increased by 8.2 percentage points to 157.7 per cent. This growth is attributed to the various customer win-back campaigns run by operators during the reference period,” the CA said.
The latest figures suggest operators successfully reactivated dormant users and attracted customers through promotions, tariff incentives and network-based retention campaigns during the review period.
The growth comes at a time when Kenya’s mobile market is approaching maturity, with operators increasingly relying on customer retention and multi-SIM ownership rather than first-time mobile users to expand subscriber numbers.
Many Kenyans maintain multiple SIM cards to take advantage of different voice, data and mobile money offers across competing networks.
The practice has become more pronounced as operators intensify competition for data usage, digital services and mobile financial transactions, which increasingly drive revenues within the sector.
Customer win-back campaigns have become an increasingly important strategy as operators seek to reactivate inactive lines and defend market share without relying solely on acquiring new subscribers.
The campaigns typically involve targeted promotions, bonus airtime, discounted data bundles and loyalty incentives aimed at encouraging dormant users to return to active usage.
Safaricom customers queue outside the Kenyatta Avenue Safaricom outlet to register their SIM cards.
Photo credit: Diana Ngila I Nation Media Group
Safaricom has retained its dominant position in the market with 57.9 million active subscriptions as of March, accounting for the bulk of Kenya’s mobile subscriber base.
Airtel Kenya came in second with 23.2 million subscriptions, followed by Equitel, Jamii Telecommunications Limited (JTL) and Telkom Kenya at 1.5 million, 883,944 and 584,438 SIM subscriptions, respectively.
Airtel has, in recent years, accelerated customer acquisition through expanded 4G coverage, aggressive data packages and sustained investments aimed at narrowing the gap with market leader Safaricom.
The strong growth in industry subscriptions reflects the central role mobile connectivity now plays in Kenya’s economy, where mobile phones have become the primary gateway to financial services, internet access, commerce and government services.
Kenya remains one of Africa’s most mobile-centric economies, with millions of people relying on phones not only for communication but also for services such as payments, savings, borrowing, and business transactions.
The CA data shows that prepaid subscriptions continued to dominate the market, accounting for 96.5 percent of all active mobile lines.
