Updated 12 November 2026
The official CAK IMEI checker is a free Communications Authority of Kenya service that tells you whether a handset’s 15-digit International Mobile Equipment Identity number is valid, and what model the Authority’s system associates with that number. The steps are on the Authority’s IMEI Checker page, checked on 12 November 2026: dial *#06# on the phone to display the IMEI, text that 15-digit number to 1555, and wait for the reply. You can also type the same number into the online checker on that page.
The page says the SMS service is free. It does not say the reply will name the owner, show a theft flag, or confirm that the seller is licensed. A valid IMEI is not the same thing as type approval of that model, and it is not a KEBS mark. If the reply is unclear, or the number on the box does not match the number the phone displays, pause the purchase and ask the Authority.
On this page
In this guide
How to get the IMEI and use the CAK IMEI checker by text
On the handset you are checking, open the phone app and dial *#06#. The Authority’s page says this displays the IMEI, which it describes as a unique 15-digit serial number that identifies a mobile phone. Write the number down exactly, including all 15 digits. Then send that number as a text message to 1555. The page says you will get a response on whether the IMEI number is valid or not, including the model of the mobile phone, and that this service is free.
Do the check on the unit in front of you, not on a number copied from a listing or a box that has been separated from the phone. If the *#06# display does not show a 15-digit number, or it does not match the number printed on the box or under the battery tray, treat that mismatch as a reason to stop, not as a typo to ignore. The official page describes one 15-digit number. If a device displays more than one IMEI, this guide does not invent a rule for which to send; ask CA which number the 1555 service expects.
Keep the SMS reply. It is the official response to the number you sent, at the time you sent it. It is not a certificate you can later treat as a transfer document, and it is not proof of who sold you the phone.
How to use the online CAK IMEI checker
The same official page also hosts an online form. After you have the 15-digit IMEI from *#06#, you can enter it in the CAK IMEI checker on ca.go.ke/imei-checker instead of, or as well as, sending the text to 1555. Use the Authority’s own page, not a third-party “IMEI lookup” site that asks for a fee or for a one-time password.
The page does not publish a separate user manual for the web form, and this guide does not invent extra fields or a login step that the Authority has not described. If the form fails to load, or the result disagrees with the 1555 reply, use the Authority’s published contacts below rather than a screenshot from a different website.
What a valid or invalid result means
On the official page, the Authority describes the IMEI as a unique 15-digit serial number stored in the Equipment Identity Register (EIR), “a database which contains information about all valid mobile phone phones in the world.” That is the Authority’s wording. This article does not independently audit that database. What matters for a buyer is the result the official service returns for the number on the handset you are holding.
The page says all genuine mobile phone devices have valid IMEI numbers and meet international technical standards of manufacture and safety. It says counterfeit mobile devices do not have valid IMEI numbers and therefore do not meet international technical and safety standards, and that they can have an adverse impact on the health of consumers because their quality cannot be ascertained. Those are the Authority’s statements about genuineness and safety. A “valid” reply is official evidence that this IMEI was recognised as valid by the checker. It is not a medical opinion, and it is not a guarantee that the particular unit has never been repaired or relabelled.
An “invalid” reply, or no match, is a warning, not a full investigation. It does not, on the published page, tell you who imported the device, whether it was reported stolen, or whether a typo in the number caused the result. Check the digits again, repeat the official CAK IMEI checker or the 1555 text, and if the result is still invalid, do not buy or keep relying on the handset until CA has confirmed what the result means.
How this sits with type approval and licensed vendors
The IMEI page also states that, as part of its consumer-protection mandate, the Authority type-approves or authorises the sale of mobile devices and other equipment in the country. That is a model-level authorisation, not the same check as the IMEI checker. A phone can raise an IMEI question even where a similar model has been discussed for type approval, and a type-approved model is not a substitute for checking the IMEI on the unit in your hand.
The same page encourages consumers to purchase devices from authorised vendors, who are required to display a Vendor Licence from the Authority. Ask to see that licence, and keep a record of the vendor’s name, before you pay. This guide does not invent a public search of every vendor licence; if a seller cannot show one, that is a fact to take to the Authority, alongside any IMEI result.
A KEBS mark, where one applies, is a further, separate check, already covered in our KEBS S-Mark verification guide. None of these checks replaces the others.
Who to contact at the Authority
The IMEI page invites clarifications by phone or email. For numbers and addresses, use the Authority’s contact page, checked on 12 November 2026, which lists the head office at CA Centre, Waiyaki Way, P.O. Box 14448-00800, Nairobi, info@ca.go.ke, +254 20 424000, +254 703 042 000 and +254 730 172 000. Consumer complaints go to chukuahatua@ca.go.ke, as we have already noted in our report on CA consumer complaints.
When you write, include the 15-digit IMEI, the model shown on the phone and on the 1555 reply if you have one, the date of the check, and, if you were buying, the seller’s name. The CAK IMEI checker and the 1555 service answer a narrow official question: is this IMEI valid, and what model does the system attach to it? They do not, on the published page, settle ownership, theft or a refund on their own.
Frequently asked questions
Is the CAK IMEI checker text service free?
Yes. The official IMEI Checker page says the service is free. You dial *#06#, text the 15-digit IMEI to 1555, and receive a reply on whether the number is valid, including the model of the phone.
Can I check an IMEI without the physical phone?
The official instructions start with dialling *#06# on the mobile device, then texting or typing that number. A number taken only from an advertisement, without confirming it on the handset, is not the check the page describes. Do the *#06# step on the unit you are buying.
Does a valid IMEI mean the phone is not stolen?
The published page does not say that the CAK IMEI checker, or the 1555 reply, reports a stolen-phone flag or the name of an owner. A valid result means the IMEI was recognised as valid and a model was returned. It is not, on the official wording, a police clearance.
What if *#06# shows two numbers?
The official page describes “the 15-digit number”. It does not set out a dual-IMEI procedure. If a device displays more than one IMEI, confirm with the Authority which number to send to 1555 or to enter in the online form, and keep both numbers on your record.
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