NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 6 – Mobile phone users are increasingly raising complaints over data bundles running out before their advertised expiry dates, with the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) recording billing and charging disputes as the largest category of consumer complaints in the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year.
The regulator received 44 complaints relating to data billing and charging between July and September, representing 31.4 percent of the 140 complaints involving mobile data and SMS services.
The disputes largely involved subscribers losing purchased data before the end of the stated validity period, unexplained deductions and charges for data they said they had not consumed.
Other complaints involved failure by mobile operators to restore services after payment and non-delivery of paid-for services, forcing customers to seek refunds or compensation.
The CA resolved 37 of the 44 billing-related complaints, representing an 84.1 percent resolution rate. The cases were addressed through credit adjustments, credit notes, refunds and restoration of disconnected services.
The regulator said the complaints mainly involved premature depletion or disconnection of data services before the expiry of their stated validity periods, resulting in consumers losing the value of the bundles they had purchased.
The findings raise concerns about billing transparency and the value customers receive from prepaid telecommunications services, particularly as mobile data becomes increasingly important for accessing financial services, education, government platforms and online businesses.
The Authority says it is strengthening oversight of telecommunications operators, with particular attention to billing accuracy, tariff transparency and the terms and conditions governing mobile services.
It has also proposed legislative changes to strengthen its oversight of billing accuracy, potentially paving the way for tighter scrutiny of how mobile operators charge subscribers.
The wider complaints report recorded 479 cases escalated to the Authority during the quarter, of which 422 were resolved, representing an overall resolution rate of 88.1 percent. The remaining 57 cases were still under regulatory follow-up.
Data services accounted for the largest share of all complaints at 29.2 percent, followed by digital financial services and mobile money at 11.9 percent.
The CA says it will prioritise interventions targeting data billing and charging, alongside network service quality and SIM-related risks, as it seeks to strengthen consumer protection in the telecommunications sector.
