User experiences with ID and SIM Card Registration in Kenya and Tanzania

Abstract

The majority of adults in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) use mobile money as their main financial account. Mobile money is the provision of financial services such as savings, credit, and insurance, through a person’s mobile phone. To open such an account, the mobile user first needs a SIM card, and across SSA, governments require SIM cards to be registered using an official ID. This is despite half of the population, around 490 million people, having no IDs. This dataset consists of 72 interviews, 36 from Kenya and 36 from Tanzania, on people’s experiences (user journeys) during ID and SIM card registration. We also explore the causes and consequences of using third-party SIM cards (SIM cards registered under a third party's ID)