The Uganda communication commission (UCC) has finally begun its biometric scanner distribution exercise. Having received new NIRA approved machines, the sim card registration, and replacement exercise is expected to commence with extra rules imposed on sim swaps sooner than we expected.
Given the old replacement mechanisms where a national ID could easily grant you a sim card replacement. UCC has now redirected its 2017 National ID registration mechanism to a clear partnership with Police. While you will need a handful of documents to prove ownership of your old registered sim card. Owning a sim card in Uganda is raving from a swift to a tortoise process similar to the early 2000s where you needed a whole lot of requirements in order to hook up a single sim card.
About UCC’s sim replacement policy
Having received the newly developed biometric scanners from NIRA. UCC went ahead to distribute the acquired machines to telecom operators with a whole bunch of regulations for all subscribers wishing to replace their lost simcards. Even though, back then you only needed a national ID to replace or swap an already registered sim card. UCC this time around has invoked a few Police procedures where you will need to accompany a stamped police letter with your original national ID in order to swap or replace your old sim card.
However, in a bid to end mobile money fraud once again. A police letter together with an original national ID doesn’t grant your a new or sim card replacement form right away, but also validation of the original National ID fingerprints, which check in as a feature programmed on to the new NIRA devices that grant you a green pass towards renewing your old sim card.
