In the wake of grave crimes that have shocked the nation, many of which have been orchestrated by people unknown to law enforcement authorities as they purportedly use sim cards unknown to the system, MTN Uganda has gone ahead to issue new sim card replacement guidelines to be followed in case of theft or loss of simcards as issued by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC). These include;
- Having all sim card replacements done at designated MTN service centers spread across the country.
- Requests to new sim card replacements being made physically by the card owner. This means such responsibility should not be delegated to a third party. And the card shall be issued upon presentation of a letter from the Uganda Police confirming the loss or theft of the said sim card.
- Simcard registration and activation shall only be made after validation of the customer registration details including presentation of a National ID. This means that the data provided must first be confirmed by the National Identification Registration Authority before a sim card is issued to an aspirant.
Sim card registration has been a contentious issue especially brought into question after gruesome murders take place in the country. Culprits normally disappear unpunished after using sim cards unknown to many to execute their motives.
At one time the exercise saw telecoms shed market share as many of their sim cards were laid dormant following deactivation directives from UCC, especially after the shocking murder of the late AIGP Felix Kaweesi.
The recent murder of Suzan Magara (RIP) led the President to issue a resound warning to UCC to have anyone wishing to acquire a sim card register with valid identification documents like the National ID. This in itself is a preventative measure and can as well see culprits brought to justice given they can be traced using the provided sim card details.
