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Respite for subscribers as Uganda telcos reactivate Sim cards

Tuesday May 23 2017
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A woman updates her Sim card registration details. NMG PHOTO | MONITOR

Uganda’s telecom companies have began reactivating nearly two million Sim cards they had switched off after the expiry of a registration deadline.

The move was prompted by President Yoweri Museveni’s order on Monday evening that the listing exercise be extended to end of August.

The president said the directive was issued after meeting with members of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, who appealed for more time.

“I’ve agreed to this proposal on condition that the new deadline will be respected; Sim card registration will therefore run until August 30, 2017,” President Museveni said on Twitter.

Telcos had begun switching off unregistered Sim cards on Saturday following the expiry of the May 19 deadline.

Speaking to The EastAfrican on Tuesday, Information minister Frank Tumwebaze said they would comply with the president’s directive.

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“We are switching people (sic) back,” he said.

The sector regulator Uganda Communications Commission had issued an ultimatum to all mobile phone subscribers to register or verify registration failure to which their Sim cards would be switched off.

After public outcry, include a court order, the deadline was extended from April 19 for a month. Parliament last week also passed a resolution ordering for the extension of the registration period.

ALSO READ: Uganda: Deadline to register Sim cards quashed

However, Mr Tumwebaze dug his heels in prompting him to be summoned by the House for contempt.

On Tuesday, he told The EastAfrican that he hoped the new deadline would be held.

The government says the registration and verification exercise is a security measure to help agencies track criminals.

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