Safaricom has clarified its policy on inactive SIM cards after responding to a customer who sought to recover a recycled mobile number, drawing attention to the operator’s rules on line deactivation and M-Pesa accounts.

The clarification came after an X user, identified as @derroh_, asked whether he could recover his old number after claiming it had been reassigned.

Responding publicly, Safaricom Care said: “Hello Derroh. Thank you for contacting us. Please note that when you fail to top up airtime for more than six months, the line is deactivated and recycled. Funds in the M-PESA account are recycled. Please buy another Safaricom line,” wrote Safaricom.

The customer later asked whether he could reclaim the number, prompting Safaricom Care to direct the matter to private messages.

Inactive line policy

According to Safaricom’s M-Pesa Customer Terms and Conditions updated in 2025, a SIM card that remains inactive for 90 days is suspended before the operator archives the linked M-PESA account and recycles the mobile number in line with regulatory requirements.

The terms further state: “Money held to your credit shall not be lost… and shall be availed to you upon notice… of the activation of a new mobile telephone number.”

Funds that remain unclaimed for more than two years are transferred to the Unclaimed Financial Assets Authority in accordance with the law.

The Communications Authority of Kenya requires mobile operators to recycle inactive numbers to ensure efficient use of the country’s numbering resources.

The clarification comes after Safaricom introduced the Daima service, which allows customers to retain their mobile numbers without making regular airtime top-ups.

The service targets customers travelling abroad, those in training institutions, users with multiple lines, and subscribers who wish to keep numbers active for longer periods.

Daima subscriptions cost Ksh200 for six months, Ksh500 for one year and Ksh1,000 for two years. Each package includes 20 minutes of calls and 20 SMS every month across all networks. Customers can subscribe through the MySafaricom App or by dialling 1004#.

Customer support options

Safaricom Chief Executive Officer Peter Ndegwa said at the launch of the service: “We are yet again innovating around our customers’ needs.”

The operator also provides a “Recreate Old SIM” service through 1002# for eligible lines that have not been fully recycled, allowing customers to restore their numbers within the specified period.

The clarification follows increased public interest in SIM card management after the recent deactivation of unregistered lines, with Safaricom remaining Kenya’s largest mobile network operator with about 38 million subscribers as of October 2025.