Being asked to pay for goods or services you never ordered
Consumer Protection Act · sources read 2 Oct 2026
You have no legal obligation to pay for goods or services you did not ask for, and the supplier may not demand payment. Paying, staying silent or letting time pass does not count as asking, and if you paid you can demand a refund within one year.
- Deadline
- Demand a refund within one year after making the payment.
- Deadline
- Complaints to a mobile or internet provider must be in writing within six months of the incident.
- Where
- The supplier first; your mobile provider then the Communications Authority for SMS or airtime subscriptions; the appropriate court
Steps
- Do not pay a demand for things you never ordered. The supplier may not demand payment or suggest that you must pay.
- If you already paid, demand a refund from the supplier within one year of paying.
- For an SMS, airtime or data subscription you did not order, complain to your provider in writing within six months of the incident.
- If the provider's escalation process does not resolve it, refer the complaint to the Communications Authority using its consumer complaint form.
- If the refund is not paid, you can go to court to recover the payment.
Watch out
- Paying, saying nothing or letting time pass is not the same as asking for it.
- If an ongoing service changes in a material way and you did not consent, it counts as unsolicited from the change onwards. The supplier must prove you agreed.
- A supplier may still ask you to pay if, when you used them, you reasonably believed the goods or services were meant for you.
Who this covers
- Anyone who receives goods or services they did not request.
- Mobile and internet customers have the right to be charged only for the products and services they subscribe to.
Official sources (2)
- Consumer Protection Act (Cap. 501, No. 46 of 2012) new.kenyalaw.org · read 2 Oct 2026
- Kenya Information and Communications (Consumer Protection) Regulations, 2010 ca.go.ke · read 2 Oct 2026