UCC sued over plan to block unregistered SIM card users

The Human Rights Network for Journalists drags the communications regulator to the High Court, claiming the
registration exercise is illegal as there is no parliamentary approval.

Kampala

With less than three weeks to the March 1 deadline of switching off all mobile phone users with unregistered SIM cards, a
journalists’ body has gone to court seeking an injunction to stop Uganda Communications Communication (UCC) from blocking sim cards of unregistered subscribers on the stated deadline.

The Human Rights Network for Journalists (HRNJ) through their lawyers, Legal Brains Trust Ltd, dragged the communications regulator to the High Court in Kampala on Thursday, claiming the whole exercise is illegal as there is no parliamentary approval.

The body is seeking a court order declaring that the notices by UCC to switch off mobile phones next month without
parliamentary approval is null and void. HRNJ also wants the communications regulator to extend the deadline so as to
rectify the several anomalies that have surfaced in the exercise.

Call to extend deadline
“Unless the impugned cutoff date of card registration is permanently delayed until the foregoing illegalities,
irregularities and anomalies are compressively resolved by UCC, subscribers are likely to suffer massive losses and
injustice that is imminent,” reads part of the law suit.

Court documents show that the ongoing SIM card registration has been marred by irregularities and illegalities such as
being insensitive to people with disabilities, minorities and marginalised groups, most of who have declined to register.
The records further indicate that UCC has failed to supervise the leading telecommunication service providers as some have
abused the registration exercise by luring the subscribers to enter into contracts of financial service while they register
the SIM cards, which action is illegal.

The journalists’ body also in its suit also claims that the one year time frame given to have over 18 million mobile
subscribers to register their SIM cards is insufficient. “On account of foregoing, the strict enforcement of the impugned
deadline will have unmitigated business and social consequences of adverse nature for millions of subscribers and then
associated telecommunication service providers, their employees, distributors, dealers, investors and the public treasury
as well,” read the suit in part

Court is yet to summon UCC to file in its defence before a hearing date can be fixed.

awesaka@ug.nationmedia.com