As it moves to ban low-end feature phones and older-generation smartphones in its new Type-C charging mandate, the government has exempted phone and tablet shipments already at sea, at the Mombasa port and in the domestic market.
The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) said the new law covers vendors, manufacturers and buyers who were seeking approval to bring in devices from March 24, when the ban was announced and effected.
Kenya wants to standardise charging technology and reduce electronic waste through the new specifications for mobile cellular devices, aligning with a growing global push for common chargers.
But the abrupt move sparked uproar and confusion among importers with existing shipments, as it did not provide a transition period, unlike other markets such as the EU that enforced similar rules in phases.
“The type-approval (official certification) of all devices occurs before one can produce or bring in the devices into the Kenyan market, so this applies to those seeking permits for new units,” a spokesperson for the CA told the Business Daily yesterday.
“We will allow shipments approved before Tuesday, and the government will not penalise anyone whose cargo is at sea, at the port, or those already in shops,” the official said.
The European Union Common Charger Directive, on which Kenya’s rules are modelled, provided manufacturers with a 24-month transition period to adjust. In Kenya, locally-assembled smartphones largely comply with USB-C requirements. Even so, the CA’s Technical Specifications for Mobile Cellular Devices, 2026, disproportionately affect importers of low-cost feature phones, commonly known as ‘kabambe’, which typically rely on Micro USB charging.
It also locks out older devices such as pre-2023 Apple iPhones and earlier iPads that used the proprietary Lightning port before shifting to USB-C to comply with EU legislation.
The regulator said traders found selling non-compliant devices will be in breach of the Kenya Information and Communications Act (KICA) and will pay fines running into millions of shillings and possible jail terms.
“Anyone found selling non-type-approved mobile devices will contravene the Kenya Information and Communications Act (KICA), Cap 411 of the Laws of Kenya (as amended),” the CA told the Business Daily on Tuesday. The EU’s common charger rule took effect in December 2024 after approval by the European Council and Parliament in October 2022. It requires all new smartphones, tablets, headphones, and gaming consoles sold in the 27-member bloc to support USB Type-C charging.
Nokia phone models are displayed for sale along with smartphones.
Photo credit: Reuters
The policy aims to cut electronic waste, reduce the number of chargers consumers need, and improve convenience by allowing a single charger to be used across multiple devices regardless of brand. The EU has set April 2026 as the USB-C compliance date for laptops. Saudi Arabia is also rolling out a phased USB-C mandate for tablets and phones from 2025, extending to laptops by April 2026. India is on a similar regulatory path, though the country’s compliance deadline for laptops is until the end of 2026.
Kenya has not ruled out extending the USB-C mandate to laptops in the future. The watchdog “may develop comprehensive technical requirements for laptops and other ICT devices in the future, based on technological evolution,” an official said
Type-C or USB-C charging is a modern charging standard whose connector can be plugged in either way up and delivers high power up to 240 watts and fast data transfer up to 40 Gigabits per second across devices like phones, laptops, and tablets. It is becoming the global industry standard, replacing older connectors such as Micro-USB and USB-A.
Beyond charging, Kenya’s new guidelines introduce minimum performance and safety thresholds for devices entering the market. Mobile phone and tablet batteries must support at least eight hours of talk time and 24 hours of standby time.
Power plugs must also comply with the local three-pin ‘Type G’ wall socket standard or include compatible adapters.
“Where the device is sold with a power plug that is not 3-pin, an adapter to convert the non-3-pin to 3-pin shall be included,” the regulations say.
The authority has also introduced mandatory accessibility standards; phones and tablets must now have screen readers, text-to-speech functionality, real-time captioning, and compatibility with assistive technologies to support users with visual, hearing, speech, and mobility impairments.
