By Francis Lubega
Minister of Information, Communication and Technology, Frank Tumwebaze has apologized before parliament for defying parliamentary directive of extending the gross period of SIM card switch off to a period of a year.
Tumwebaze directed telecom companies and the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) to deactivate all sim cards that are unregistered using the unique National Identification Number (NIN) which is in the national identity cards, just after Parliament had moved a motion seeking to extend the deadline from 19th this month as had earlier been formally set by government.
His apology comes after Buhweju County Member of Parliament Francis Mwijukye raised the matter during the plenary session saying Minister Tumwebaze disrespected the voices of the people.
However, Tumwebaze has be held liable for switching off SIM cards before tabling a status report of those registered and non registered to parliament before action.
Controversially, the government Chief whip Ruth Nankabirwa said that the switching off of the registered subscribers was not a mistake but a deliberate testing of the system and no apology should be expected.
Meanwhile, the opposition Democratic Party (DP) Spokesperson Kenneth Paul Kakande urges President Yoweri Museveni to streamline the powers and roles of Parliament and the Ministers on certain issues like Sim Card registration exercise for them to stop contravening themselves.
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