The regulator also made it mandatory for all electronic equipment sold in the country to be backed by a warranty and return policy.
Henceforth, all electronics sold in the Kenyan market must have, at a minimum, a one-year warranty and rules detailing how customers can return purchased electronics for a refund or exchange.
The move is expected to protect Kenyans from unknowingly purchasing refurbished gadgets marketed as brand-new while ensuring buyers have recourse if devices develop faults within the warranty period.
Besides the warranty requirement, vendors must provide customer support services and after-sales assistance throughout the warranty period.
The Authority further directed that electronics vendors source their products only from licensed communications equipment distributors and ensure that every device sold has been approved by the regulator.
For businesses selling devices online, the licence requires dealers to provide verifiable physical addresses, email addresses and telephone contacts to enable customers to easily seek support whenever necessary.
CA also requires vendors to issue official receipts for every sale, whether completed online or through physical shops, and the receipts must indicate the seller’s name, the device model, serial number and warranty period.
Additionally, dealers are required to maintain compliance records for at least three years, establish customer complaint handling mechanisms and educate consumers on the environmentally responsible disposal of electronic equipment.
CA said it will closely monitor compliance with the new licence conditions and will inspect business premises, records, systems and equipment whenever necessary.
