Only Dr. Stella Nyanzi in my view has the right vocabulary to effectively describe the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) and its haphazard handling of issues.
Five years ago, the commission huffed and puffed about the need to register sim cards citing security as one of the key reasons it was being done.
Eng. Mutabazi being assisted during the launch of the registration exercise. Photo Credit – Daily Monitor, 2012
The Executive Director, Eng Godfrey Mutabazi is on record having said that, “In countries where SIM card registration has been taken seriously, a drop in crime especially cybercrime has been registered. We want to emulate this and see to it that such unlawful acts are done away with.”
Many of us supported the move and even used various fora to enlighten the general public about the importance of registration. The deadline set for 2013 passed and before we knew it another threat was issued to the telecoms companies to ensure that the process is completed in 2015. Interestingly, we were led to believe that the issue had been sorted once and for all.
To my shock, earlier this year, information from the Police begun pointing fingers at the use of unregistered simcards by criminal gangs. The UCC kept mum. Is it because the victims were largely lay men? It wasn’t until the investigations into the assassination of the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Mr. Felix Kaweesi (RIP) that the UCC was jolted out of its slumber.
With the kind of resources this institution commands, it is foolhardy for one to believe that they have a genuine reason for such a lapse in judgement. I strongly believe this is a sign of gross incompetence in the institution that is failing to offer the much needed direction for the ICT industry, preferring to concentrate on shutting down internet during election time as well as shopping for pornography tracking equipment. It seems like UCC is narrowing its attention to matters that involve procurement (this was actually intimated to me by a Member of Parliament) as they offer quick gains to the individuals involved there-in as well as satisfying the politburo’s demands. These two areas of engagement I presume form the basis for any contract renewal that the head of the institution is definitely interested in.
By failing to do the obvious, the Eng Mutabazi led outfit has slowed down the pace set by Mr. Patrick Masambu the former Executive Director of UCC who is currently the Director General of the International Telecommunications Satellite Organisation (ITSO). Despite the massive hurdles he went through to set up this institution, Mr Masambu defied all odds to leave a healthy and globally acclaimed institution in place.
The latest gaffe has been the press release by UCC that orders Telecommunication service providers to verify all SIM card subscriber details within seven (7) days starting 12th April 2017. The communique advises the public to visit the nearest authorised telecoms service centres as well as utilising the *197#.
I can only shake my head in disbelief because whoever came up with this decision at UCC is out of touch with reality. Do they think that they are managing a home? Do they realistically expect even 50% of the Ugandans to get sorted within one week? Which world are these !#%&^396$#@ living in? (Dr. Nyanzi the queen of metaphors please come to my rescue here)
Now to Eng Mutabazi and your team, do you really believe that:
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All Ugandans are within 7 days reach of a recognised Telecoms Service Centre?
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All Ugandans will have got the information to pursue this activity within 7 days?
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All Ugandans will have the money and time to make it to the various centres within 7 days?
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All Ugandans have National IDs?
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All Ugandans are utilising their cell numbers within the boundaries of this country?
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All Ugandans have time to repeatedly go to Telecoms service centres in a bid to repeat activities they had already engaged in?
Take the example of this guy
Meanwhile, like you can see, he at least might be able to afford the entire exercise financially. What happens to the many that cant afford it and also reside where he is currently working? [Pointing my index finger onto my bald head saying “COMMON SENSE IS NOT COMMON”]
Meanwhile of the seven (7) days given, four of them are taken up by the Easter Holidays. For a country that is over 70% Christian, why do you think they will leave their celebrations to attend to an exercise that was caused by your incompetence?
When will you get out of this gambling nature that seems to have become a part of your operational manual? I do believe that UCC as an institution has some very brilliant minds, a number of whom are known to me personally but the way the institution is operating as a whole, makes any outsider think it is a bunch of jokers. This should be a wakeup call to the appointing authority, at this rate, the efforts to attain Middle Income status are likely to be sabotaged by an inefficient Communication and Technology Sector whose regulatory agency seems to be operating in a reactive rather than proactive manner.
This seven day deadline is simply a poorly thought through decision that only serves to lay bare the incompetence of the institution we are meant to look upto for guidance. Could it be time for a total purge?
Let me go pick my orange tree seedlings and plant before the rains cease. I think I have had enough of this circus.
James Wire is a Small Business and Technology Consultant based in Kampala, Uganda
Follow @wirejames on Twitter.
Email lunghabo [at] gmail [dot] com
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