Registration of SIM when no fingers

/in /by

Last year my cousin lost all his right fingers and part of his left arm in a car accident after she was registered with NIDA and availed with a NIDA identity card. She now wants to register a new SIM card but is unsure if she can be allowed to do so without her fingerprint being taken by the service provider. I know the registration of a SIM card biometrically involves taking of fingerprints but I don’t know how the law guarantees the right of people with finger disability to register a SIM Card. Can you please guide?    
MM, Tabora  

Regulation 5(7) of the Electronic and Postal Communications (SIM Card Registration) Regulations, 2020 prescribes the procedure for registration of a SIM card by people with finger disability or defaced fingerprints. A person with defaced fingerprints or finger disability should first present her/his NIDA identity card to the service provider/the operator for SIM Card registration. After receiving the NIDA Card, the operator shall seek approval of NIDA to register a SIM Card for the customer with the defaced fingerprints or finger disability without taking her/his fingerprint.

NIDA can allow registration of a SIM card based on verification of the customer by way of multiple questions to be put to him or impose any other procedure for verification other than the use of fingerprints. Where NIDA directs that multiple questions be used for verification in lieu of fingerprints, the service provider shall ask the customer such questions as suggested by NIDA in order to verify if she/he is the one appearing in the NIDA database. If the customer answers 2/3 (66%) of the questions put to her/him correctly, verification shall be considered successful and the operator may proceed to register the customer without taking her/his fingerprint. In the event NIDA designates any other method of verification other than the use of multiple questions, such other methods shall be used by the operator to verify the customer. The service provider is required to keep the verification record taken in lieu of fingerprint.