Barely a week after the Communications Commission of Kenya postponing the shutting down of fake mobile phones indefinitely, the information industry regulator has set August as D-day for the exercise.

CCK had postponed for the time exercise citing lack of a conclusive database that would help carry out the black out effectively. CCK acting director general Francis Wangusi said the regulator has engaged a competitive database provider who will provide verification details from manufacturers that subscribers will use to check their phone statuses.

The Commission says it is going to engage consumers in a 3 month awareness campaign before the black out so that unsuspecting Kenyans are not caught off guard. The move to shut down counterfeit phones will affect an estimated  3 million Kenyans, most of whom are not aware that their communication gadgets are not genuine. It is feared that of the more than 25 million subscribers in Kenya, a very small percentage know whether or not their mobile phones are genuine.

Consumer protection organizations have asked that CCK finds a real way addressing the issue of counterfeit gadgets finding their way into the country first. CCK stands to face legal battles with the millions of consumers who will be affected by the shut down in August.