According to a latest Kenyan Gazette notice, it is now illegal to import phones with lower than eight hours of battery life and lack a physical manual.
The new rules by the Communication Authority of Kenya (CA), which took effect on May 15, are aimed at reducing the import of fake gadgets into the country.
The new guidelines indicate that vendors are obliged to provide a one year warranty and two-year after-sale service for every device sold.
They also state that only licensed telecommunication vendors will be allowed to import and distribute mobile phones.
[caption caption="File image of Kenyan students looking at their phones"]
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The devices should have the manufacturer’s brand or identification mark printed on them with indelible ink.
Each cell phone should also have an International Mobile Station Equipment Identity (IMEI) number printed on it. The IMEI should be retrieved electronically by dialling *#06#.
The regulations further state that samples of mobile phones must first be sent to the Communication Authority for approval and testing 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)," the CA new guidelines read in part.
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.
In a broader move two years ago, CA, in a national-wide move switched off mobile phones that had not been regulated.
The government has been engaged in moves aimed at curbing fake goods coming into the country through the grey market and illegal imports and distribution.
[caption caption="File image of CA Director General Francis Wangusi"]
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