Late SIM registration overwhelms officials
Apr 18, 2017
Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda chaired an emergency meeting to discuss the exercise
With just a few days to the deadline for re-registration and verification of SIM cards in the country hundreds of Ugandans thronged telecom service centres and ID registration points in a bid to avoid disconnection.
Uganda Communications Commission UCC set a Thursday deadline for the exercise and long queues greeted those who set about beating the deadline.
Service centres in Kampala, Wakiso and Mukono among others had hundreds lining up while Kololo Ceremonial Grounds, the headquarters of National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) saw even more people queuing to start the ID registration process.
Meanwhile Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda chaired an emergency meeting to discuss the exercise.
The meeting was attended Minister for Information and National Guidance, Frank Tumwebaze, Security Minister, Gen Henry Tumukunde and Internal Affairs Minister, Gen Jeje Odong, UCC executive director, Godfrey Mutabazi, the NIRA executive director and the permanent secretary of the ICT ministry.
In another development a petition has been filed before the High Court seeking an interim order to halt the disconnection of unregistered SIM cards.
Through their lawyer Eron Kiiza, the petitioners, Norman Tumuhimbise and Rights Trumpet Ltd argue that the directive is unconstitutional and violates fundamental human rights.