Updated 19 October 2026
Quick answer: dial *106# on a line from each network you use. On Safaricom, choose the option to check your registration status, and Safaricom will show you, and send by SMS, the Safaricom numbers registered to your ID. Airtel and Telkom customers dial the same *106# code on their own lines and pick the option for numbers registered under their ID. Each network only shows its own lines, so if you have used more than one network, check each one. If you find a number you don’t recognise, take your original ID to that network’s shop and ask for it to be removed from your name.
There is no single official check across all networks yet. The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) went to tender in 2026 for a national ID-to-SIM checker, covered below.
In this guide
Why You Should Check
Every SIM card in Kenya has to be registered to a person under the Kenya Information and Communications (Registration of SIM-cards) Regulations, 2015, using a national ID, an alien ID, a passport or another accepted document. If someone registers a line with your details, anything done on that line points back to you. CA’s own 2026 draft guidelines on number recycling note that fraudulently registered numbers are used in crimes such as ransom demands, where money is sent through lines registered to someone else.
A line you don’t know about could also be used to:
- open mobile money and loan accounts that get reported to credit bureaus in your name (it is worth checking that too: check your CRB status);
- receive one-time passwords during a SIM swap or account takeover;
- run scams that lead investigators to you.
It takes a minute and costs nothing, so check whenever you lose an ID, after you have handed your ID to an agent, and at least once a year.
How to Check on Safaricom
Safaricom’s own FAQ gives these steps:
- Dial *106# from your Safaricom line.
- Select option 1, Check Registration Status. On some phones the menu first shows a heading for the number query service.
- Read the result on screen. It shows your registration status and the Safaricom numbers registered to your ID.
- If a number is listed that you don’t own, use the menu option to report it, or go to a Safaricom shop with your original ID.
Safaricom also says that if *106# shows you are compliant, you do not need to visit a shop. If it shows your details need updating, you can verify them at any Safaricom shop, where the agent scans your original ID and takes your signature (Safaricom says this takes about three minutes), or through the self-update link Safaricom sends out.
For eSIMs, SIM replacement and other line questions, see our guide on Safaricom eSIM, SIM replacement and lines on your ID.
How to Check on Airtel and Telkom
Both networks use the same *106# short code. Dial it from your Airtel or Telkom line and look for the option about numbers registered with your ID. The wording and the order of the menu are not the same on every network, and they change from time to time, so read each screen rather than pressing numbers from memory. Some menus ask you to choose the type of document you registered with (national ID, passport, alien ID and so on) and then type the document number.
If the option isn’t there, or the result looks wrong, go to the network’s own shop with your original ID. The shop can print or show the lines under your name and remove any you don’t own.
What to Do if You Find a Number You Don’t Know
- Write it down exactly as shown, with the date you found it.
- Report it through the *106# menu where the option exists, or visit the network’s shop with your original ID and ask for the line to be deregistered from your details.
- Check money services. Ask the shop whether the number has a mobile money account. If it does, ask for it to be closed.
- Check your credit record for loans you never took, and confirm any lender that contacts you is on the CBK list of licensed digital lenders. Our guide on how to check whether a loan app is licensed shows the steps.
- Report crime to the police if the line has been used to defraud you or others, and keep the reference number.
When a line is registered in someone else’s name
Many families have lines registered under a parent’s or spouse’s ID. Safaricom says that to move such a line into your own name, both of you should visit a Safaricom shop with your original IDs and ask for ownership to be transferred. Until then, the line legally belongs to the person whose ID was used.
What CA Is Planning
A national ID-to-SIM checker
CA advertised an open national tender, CA/SCM/OT/03/2025-2026, for the provision of ID-to-SIM card checker services, with bids due on 11 March 2026. In the tender, as reported by Business Daily, CA said the service would let members of the public send their identification number to a dedicated short code, and the system would search the databases of all mobile network operators and return every number linked to that document. It is meant to handle 5,000 queries a minute. We could not find a launch notice on ca.go.ke by October 2026, so until it goes live, use *106# on each network.
Recycling of inactive numbers
In September 2026, CA published proposed safeguards for deactivating and recycling inactive mobile numbers and took public comments from 1 to 11 September. Under the draft:
| Stage | What the draft says |
|---|---|
| Inactive | No revenue-generating activity (calls, SMS, data, top-up or a value-added service) for three months |
| Notification | Reminders continue for another three months unless the owner uses the line |
| Public list | 30 days before that period ends, the operator publishes the numbers at risk |
| Status check | The public notice must include the *106# option to check whether a number is active, suspended, under recycling or deactivated |
The draft also lets prisons and caregivers ask operators to protect, or whitelist, the numbers of people who can’t use them for more than six months. These are proposals, not final rules, so treat them as a sign of where policy is heading. Old lines you no longer use are better formally deregistered than left to lapse, so they can’t come back to you.
Tips to Keep Your ID Safe
- Never leave a copy of your ID with a street agent or send a photo of it on social media.
- If you lose your ID, check *106# on every network straight away, and again once you have a replacement.
- Keep one primary line for banking and M-Pesa and protect it with a strong PIN.
- If you need a government service in person, book a Huduma Centre appointment instead of handing your documents to middlemen.
For more on staying safe online while job hunting, where ID fraud is common, see the advice on JobinKenya.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the code to check numbers registered under my ID?
*106#. Dial it from a line on each network. On Safaricom, choose option 1, Check Registration Status.
Can I check Airtel numbers from a Safaricom line?
No. Each network shows only its own lines, so you need to dial *106# from an Airtel line for Airtel and a Telkom line for Telkom, or visit their shops.
How do I remove a number registered with my ID?
Report it in the *106# menu where the option exists, or visit the network’s shop with your original ID and ask for the line to be deregistered.
Is there one code that checks all networks?
Not yet. CA tendered for a national ID-to-SIM checker in 2026 that would search every operator’s records through one short code, but we found no launch notice by October 2026.
Is checking *106# free?
Safaricom’s FAQ lists no charge for the check, and it is a self-service menu. If a network ever charges for a USSD service, the screen should say so before you confirm, so read it before you continue.
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