On a dark morning two years ago, 15-year-old Eugene Ochieng sat in his father's car waiting to be dropped at school. Then gun-toting thugs struck. It was still dark. The thugs beat Eugene and his father, frisked them, and then stole money, cellphones and other valuables.

But this was not the usual small-time violent robbery that popped up in Nairobi's Eastlands area; it was abduction. The thugs kidnapped the boy, later calling on cellphones to demand a Sh1 million ($11,880) ransom.

Eugene's dad, Nelson Odhok Ochieng, a diabetes patient, was scheduled for dialysis that morning. He did not have the money and poured his heart out on national TV begging the criminals for the release of his son.

The police were successful. They got Eugene alive and well and in the process nabbed eight suspects.

Prior to this, the Kenya Police had their hands full with cases of gangs committing abductions. Related families had to endure the traumatizing assault of threatening text messages and phone calls, asking for bundles of cash in exchange for their loved ones.

So, when police mounted a crackdown against the gangs, with the help of mobile phone service providers, and netted over 40 subscriber identity module (SIM) cards, in various criminal hideouts, the conclusion was that the anonymity associated with cellphones was the reason behind the wave of abductions in the city.

And with that, the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) asked everyone with a mobile phone to ensure it is registered. Government officials were unanimous in blaming the rising crimes on cellphone anonymity, pointing to the method in which ransom demands were made.

Register SIM cards

Interestingly, this is the same reason being propagated by governments from Tanzania to South Africa, Cotè d'Ivoire to Mauritius and from Nigeria to Seychelles, as they embark on mandatory SIM card registration.

The governments are of the view that, if the details of every subscriber are taken and are easily available, it will be made much easier to arrest criminals who use cellphones to commit crimes. The government directive in Kenya targeted all existing subscribers, who'd have to go to the agents of their respective service providers to register. New subscribers, it was agreed, will register as they purchase the SIM card. Users are required to give their postal and physical address, date of birth and alternative phone numbers, besides their names and identity cards. Minors with SIM cards are required to be accompanied by an adult, who will register as the owner of the card and the minor as the user.

Proponents of these moves are sure that it will bring a semblance of order in the burgeoning industry that has taken the continent by storm.

However the debate goes on in most of Africa, especially given that there is a thin line between privacy and freedom when it comes to the intentions of the state [to control crime] and that of citizens [not to be spied on].

Others want the matter written into law, as is the case in South Africa and Nigeria, where people can be arrested if they fail to register their new SIM cards.

Other motives?

Peter Wanyonyi, an information security expert practicing in the Middle East, was among the first influential Kenyans to question the government's move to force all subscribers to register their SIM cards.

"This is nonsense. A traceable SIM card in a stolen phone can simply be thrown away. Similarly, it is ludicrous for the government to think kidnappings will cease merely because text messages can be traced to a given cellphone number. What's to stop the kidnappers using one of the many free web-based services to send the text message? They could even use the kidnapped person's own cellphone to send text messages or make calls," said Wanyonyi in a public memo to the government questioning the decision.

"No, this is not about crime and security. This is about government wanting to listen in, to spy on us, to take us back to the bad old days. It is a massive step back in civil liberties."

Having spent most of his time in the telecommunications industry, Wanyonyi said that there was a possibility of having subscribers register through proxies - at a fee - or of fake agents popping up to register subscribers using fake ID numbers. But even so, he said the registration exercise ought to be voluntary and not compulsory.

"Considering that criminal messages can also be passed using email, shall we see the government seek to have people register their computers and email addresses with the CCK?" said Wanyoni.

But James Mugendi, an information scientist in Nairobi, said there was room for the exercise because the government had a duty to keep the citizens safe. He dismissed as "paranoia" the threat of the government seeking to spy on its citizens, saying it was impractical given the large number of subscribers.

Kenya's CCK estimates that the country has 22 million subscribers. Nigeria's Communication Commission puts its national subscriber base at 70 million. Ghana's National Communication Authority also boasts of 17.4 million subscribers. For the authorities to be able to do this, they'll need massive resources, which they don't have, said Mugendi.

"It would cost more than the government can ever afford to hire and train staff as well as buy, maintain and operate the required technology," Mugendi said in defense of the directive.

To him, just the mere fact that SIM card registration is synonymous with oppressive regimes should not make Kenyans fail to lap up the opportunity to fight cellphone crime.

"It is well within the mandate of any government to try and regulate the industry to cut down the attendant crime. These solutions may not be without fault but that does not mean we sit back and do nothing about the problem," he added.

Providers' position

The mobile phone providers are cooperating with the government in registering their customers.

Kenya's leading mobile service provider Safaricom, which commands over 15 million subscribers, welcomed the initiative and asked Kenyans to register at its outlets all over the country. The company has 31 retail offices in major towns in the country and also leveraged on the presence of its 2,500 dealers and M-Pesa (mobile money transfer service) agents.

Airtel Kenya, the No.2 service provider, also sent out agents to register its subscribers. Both Safaricom and Airtel sent out text messages to their subscribers notifying them of the need to register. The registration so far is a continuous process, even though it remains voluntary. There has been no survey showing how Kenyans responded to the government directive, but the CCK has continued to ooze confidence that many Kenyans had heeded the government's call and registered their details.

In Kenya, while it is government policy, there's no law to back up the registration. So it remains just voluntary. This has allowed hawkers who sell the SIM cards to continue earning their daily bread on the streets of Nairobi. Interestingly, the number of kidnappings and abductions has dropped since the exercise begun. The Annual Crime Report for 2010, released by the Kenya Police, shows that the number of kidnappings reduced from 84 in 2009 to 65 in 2010. The bulk of this reduction followed the introduction of the mandatory SIM card registration, but it is unclear if the low levels are as a result of the SIM card registration, or if it is the increased police vigilance.

In Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and Egypt, SIM registration is mandatory. One can either present the passport, the driver's license or any other form of identification to verify personal information such as names and addresses.

But as governments mull over the exercise, the population will only hope that the process results in reduced abductions, less crime, and a boost in service provision in the mobile service industry.