Uganda Communications Commission and the minister for security, General Henry Tumukunde have vowed to switch off millions of illegally active sim cards as the 19th May 2017 deadline draws near.
In a press briefing on Monday, UCC executive director, Eng Godfrey Mutabazi told journalists that 13 million sim cards have been registered and verified as of last week by the National Identification Registration Authority (NIRA).
There are approximately 22 million registered active sim cards in Uganda while telecom operators by March 2017 were allegedly selling active unregistered SIM cards, four years after a government ban on the practice.
Mutabazi said that some individuals have more than one sim card while some companies and organizations also have up to 50 sim cards.
General Tumukunde added that there will be no extension of the sim card verification process after the 19th May deadline elapses because unregistered sim cards in the hands of Ugandans are a ‘security threat’.
Meanwhile, a suit stopping the sim card registration was fixed for hearing on May 18 before the head of the Civil Division, Judge Stephen Musota.
Court is being asked to agree that it was unfair for UCC to allow foreigners to use their passports for the update of their sim cards but turn around and deny Ugandans this possibility. They argue that passports are official documents of identity issued by the government.
