The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has introduced a new mandatory license for businesses that import and distribute communications equipment, including mobile phones, routers, and modems, tightening oversight of the country’s telecommunications market.
Under the new rules, firms seeking to import and wholesale communications equipment must obtain a Communications Equipment Distributor (CED) License before bringing such equipment into Kenya. The requirement was announced in a public notice from the regulator.
The new requirement follows the revised Telecommunications Market Structure published through Gazette Notice No. 3335 of March 6, 2026, under the Kenya Information and Communications Act. Under the notice, the license is mandatory for firms wishing to import communications equipment, have it type approved by the Authority, and clear it through the government’s TradeNet system before it can enter the Kenyan market.
Importantly, the license is not limited to new market entrants. Communications Authority Director General and Chief Executive Officer David Mugonyi confirmed that the new rules also apply to existing Telecommunications Equipment Contractor (TEC) and Vendor license holders that currently import or distribute communications equipment.
Speaking on the transition arrangements, Mugonyi was direct about the timeline. “Existing licensees with Telecommunications Equipment Contractor (TEC) or Vendor Licenses who want to continue importing or distributing communications equipment are also required to apply, with immediate effect, for a Communications Equipment Distributor (CED) License,” he said.
The move builds on a broader push by the CA over the past two years to formalize how communications equipment enters Kenya. In March 2025, the regulator had already directed that all ICT products including mobile devices, routers, modems, and switches required a compliance certificate before being processed through the National Electronic Window System. Separately, from January 2025, the Authority began requiring assemblers and importers to disclose IMEI numbers for mobile devices, in a bid to curb the circulation of tax-non-compliant phones.
Communications equipment covered by CA’s type-approval regime includes routers, modems, wireless access points, switches, and transmission equipment, all of which must be type-approved before being imported, marketed, or deployed in the country, according to legal analysts tracking the sector.
For businesses, the practical effect of the CED License is that import clearance now hinges on three linked steps: securing the license itself, obtaining type approval for the specific equipment, and clearing consignments through TradeNet. Companies that fail to regularize their status risk disruption to ongoing import and distribution activities, since the requirement took effect immediately upon publication of the notice.
The CA has not published a transition grace period in the notice, meaning affected businesses are expected to begin the application process without delay.
