Safaricom clarifies how long inactive SIM cards take to become dormant
Safaricom has clarified when inactive SIM cards are declared dormant, saying customers who do not top up their lines for an extended period could lose access to their numbers. The clarification came on September 25, 2026, after a customer, Kashie Kammie, asked the telecommunications company how long it takes for a SIM card to be […]
On September 25, 2026, Safaricom, Kenya's largest mobile network operator, clarified the timeframe for inactivating SIM cards. The telecommunications company stated that a SIM card becomes dormant if it remains untouched for 90 to 120 days without a top-up. This policy, which Safaricom updated in 2025, applies to inactive lines and affects M-Pesa accounts linked to those numbers.
When a SIM card becomes dormant, the operator archives the associated M-Pesa account and recycles the mobile number in compliance with regulatory requirements. However, any funds remaining in the account are preserved until the number is activated again. Safaricom's M-Pesa Customer Terms and Conditions explicitly state that the credit balance in an inactive SIM card is safe and will be returned once the line is reactivated.
The Communications Authority of Kenya mandates mobile operators to recycle inactive numbers to free up resources and make them available for new subscribers. To address customers who may not frequently use their lines, Safaricom introduced the Daima service in 2022. This service allows users to retain their numbers while paying a small fee for monthly call and SMS allowances.
Eligible customers can also restore their inactive numbers using Safaricom's "Recreate Old SIM" service. As of October 2025, Safaricom served approximately 38 million subscribers.
Written by urgent.news from People Daily Kenya's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
