Hon. Frank Tumwebaze - Uganda Multimedia News & Information https://www.weinformers.com Politics, Health, Sceince, Business, Agriculture, Culture, Tourism, Women, Men, Oil, Sports Fri, 10 Aug 2018 06:03:13 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.3.2 Speaker Kadaga orders for the lifting of the airtime scratch cards ban https://www.weinformers.com/2018/08/10/speaker-kadaga-orders-for-the-lifting-of-the-airtime-scratch-cards-ban/ https://www.weinformers.com/2018/08/10/speaker-kadaga-orders-for-the-lifting-of-the-airtime-scratch-cards-ban/#respond Fri, 10 Aug 2018 06:01:24 +0000 http://www.weinformers.com/?p=52927 The speaker of Uganda Parliament, Hon.Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, has ordered all telecom companies to return to the traditional way of loading airtime using scratch cards from the digitalized ‘easy go’. The speaker justified her decision saying that people in the villages are not well versed with the easy go method and therefore needed time to […]

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]]> The speaker of Uganda Parliament, Hon.Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, has ordered all telecom companies to return to the traditional way of loading airtime using scratch cards from the digitalized ‘easy go’.

The speaker justified her decision saying that people in the villages are not well versed with the easy go method and therefore needed time to familiarize with it.

“There is no electricity in the villages yet these machines need power to operate,” Kadaga asserted.


Hon. Frank Tumwebaze, the Minister for ICT and National Guidance, addresses the dialogue with Members of Parliament, UCC held at Parliament on 9 August 2018: Courtesy photo

Kadaga said this while in a Parliamentary dialogue on Thursday August 9,2018 attended by over 50 members of parliament. It was agreed that the use of scratch cards should be maintained and its phase out be determined by the market forces of demand.

 According to the Minister for ICT and National Guidance, Hon. Frank Tumwebaze, technology is an unavoidable change but he agreed to engage the parties involved; UCC and telecommunication companies to ensure a gradual transformation.

“I have now directed that let us not ban scratch cards abruptly. I agree that we should have walked along with our rural people,” said Tumwebaze.

Although scratch cards were revamped,  MPs also agreed that the electronic airtime loading system will continue to be used to potential users.

The Chief Executive Officer of MTN Uganda, Wim Vanhelleputte, said that telecommunication companies will now work towards restocking the scratch cards since they are out of stock following the ban.

“We will see how market forces play. If there is a strong demand to go back to scratch cards, we will have to find a way to address those demands,” said Vanhelleputee.

“Figures on the ground show that 99 percent of customers have already embraced the electronic airtime loading system,” Vanhelleputte added.

The ban imposed by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), the government communications regulator, came into effect at the end of July this year, in favour of the electronic airtime loading system.

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]]> https://www.weinformers.com/2018/08/10/speaker-kadaga-orders-for-the-lifting-of-the-airtime-scratch-cards-ban/feed/ 0 MPs express mixed reactions on the new MTN loan service https://www.weinformers.com/2016/08/11/mps-express-mixed-reactions-on-the-new-mtn-loan-service/ https://www.weinformers.com/2016/08/11/mps-express-mixed-reactions-on-the-new-mtn-loan-service/#respond Thu, 11 Aug 2016 08:04:09 +0000 http://www.weinformers.com/?p=46464 Members of Parliament have expressed mixed reactions about a new service by MTN to provide loans to its customers while enabling them to make savings using their mobile phones. The new service launched on August 10, 2016 and dubbed MTN MOkash, will be managed in partnership with the Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA) and is […]

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]]> Members of Parliament have expressed mixed reactions about a new service by MTN to provide loans to its customers while enabling them to make savings using their mobile phones.

The new service launched on August 10, 2016 and dubbed MTN MOkash, will be managed in partnership with the Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA) and is the first of its kind in the Country. Neighboring countries Kenya and Tanzania have been utilizing a similar service.

However, some Members of Parliament have expressed concern saying such as scheme will be vulnerable to fraud and make Ugandans lose money in the process if a proper frame to regulate its operations is not put in place.

Bulamogi Member of Parliament, Kenneth Lubogo.

Bulamogi Member of Parliament, Kenneth Lubogo.

Kenneth Lubogo, Member of Parliament for Bulamogi County in Kamuli district who raised the matter in Parliament wondered whether MTN had received clearance to offer financial services which is a preserve of financial institutions.

He said this is a serious matter that the government needs to look into the new service as it has been launched to the public.

Joseph Ssewungu, Member of Parliament for Kalungu West in Kalungu district, added that there were weaknesses in regulating telecommunication companies leaving them to operate at the expense of the citizens.

Sewungu wondered why MTN gets the audacity to start operating like a financial institution without being questioned.

Onesimus Twinamasiko, Member of Parliament for Bugangaizi East Constituency in Kibaale district said MTN did not seek Parliament’s permission on their new service, adding that the mandate to make money had been misplaced.

He said the Telecommunication companies and financial institutions are making more money than the Bank of Uganda while exploiting citizens.

However, the State Minister for Finance and Planning, Hon. David Bahati said that whereas MTN had no license to offer banking and money lending services, Bank of Uganda had given them authority to operate the platform in partnership with Commercial Bank of Africa.

He added that the Ministry was in the process of procuring an intelligence machine in the next three months to identify any unknown revenues telecommunication companies were making.

The Minister for ICT, Hon. Frank Tumwebaze pledged to present a comprehensive report on the regulatory framework for the telecommunications companies.

He clarified that the money being used in the MTN MOkash service is provided for by a bank called Commercial Bank of Africa and MTN avails a mobile mechanism to transact without having to visit the bank.

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