Kenya recorded a historic increase of 5.7 million SIM cards in the three months to March 2026, pushing active mobile subscriptions to 84.1 million.
Data from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) shows that the rise marked the largest quarterly jump ever recorded in the country, driven by customer win-back campaigns launched by telecommunications operators to reactivate dormant users and attract new subscribers.
The CA attributed the growth to customer retention efforts by operators during the review period.
Active mobile subscriptions increased by 7.4 per cent during the quarter under review, rising from 78.4 million recorded in December 2025.
“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.
Customer win-back campaigns involve efforts by telecommunications firms to bring back subscribers whose SIM cards have become inactive or are at risk of being abandoned. The campaigns target users who have stopped using specific lines for calls, data services or mobile money transactions.
Operators have in recent months relied on incentives such as personalised data bundles, discounted voice packages, bonus airtime and loyalty rewards to encourage customers to return to active use and maintain their networks.
Safaricom has periodically introduced customised data and airtime packages for selected customers based on their usage history, while Airtel Kenya has increased promotions around data prices and free minutes.
Airtel has also rolled out several network migration offers targeting subscribers from rival networks, including the “Rudishiwa Cashback” promotion, where Airtel Money provides guaranteed 50 per cent cashback awarded as airtime on transaction fees.
The latest figures show that operators were able to reactivate dormant users and attract subscribers through promotions, tariff incentives and network-based retention campaigns.
The growth comes as Kenya’s mobile market moves closer to maturity, with operators increasingly depending on retaining existing customers and multiple SIM ownership rather than relying on first-time mobile users to expand their subscriber base.
Many Kenyans continue to use multiple SIM cards to access different voice, data and mobile money offers provided by competing networks.
The practice has increased as operators compete for data usage, digital services and mobile financial transactions, which have become key drivers of revenue in the sector.
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