Uganda’s digital number plate project has come under renewed scrutiny after Minister for Water and Environment Maj Gen Kahinda Otafiire questioned the reliability of its vehicle-tracking technology, while Parliament raised concerns over reported failures in the security components embedded in the plates less than three years after implementation began.
The concerns emerged during a meeting of Parliament’s Committee on Physical Infrastructure, where former Works and Transport Minister Gen. (Rtd) Katumba Wamala appeared alongside Otafiire, Winston Katushabe and other officials to respond to questions about the Intelligent Transport Monitoring System (ITMS).
The committee is seeking accountability for decisions made during Katumba Wamala’s tenure as minister, particularly those relating to the project’s technical requirements, procurement, contract value and implementation.
Committee Chairperson Mwine Mpaka tasked Katumba with explaining who determined the user requirements for the ITMS, how the contract value was established and whether a feasibility study was conducted before the project was rolled out.
Mpaka also raised concerns that security components embedded in the new digital number plates were already failing, barely three years into the implementation of the system. The reported failures have prompted questions about the durability of the plates and whether the project is delivering the security benefits promised.
Adding to the scrutiny, Otafiire recounted an experiment that he said raised doubts about the system’s ability to accurately locate vehicles after their number plates had been removed.
According to Otafiire, number plates were removed from vehicles and taken to his office. When police were contacted to establish the vehicles’ locations, officers reportedly indicated that the vehicles were in Kololo, despite the plates being in his office.
The account prompted questions about how the system identifies and tracks vehicles and whether the location information it provides can always be relied upon.
Otafiire also suggested that private-sector technology could offer more advanced monitoring capabilities than those currently used in the government system. He cited Uber, the ride-hailing service, as an example of a platform with more sophisticated vehicle-monitoring technology, arguing that the ITMS appeared to rely mainly on trackers.
“We could have added the traffic monitoring thing to Wavamuno’s number plates,” Otafiire said, suggesting that traffic-monitoring capabilities could have been incorporated into the digital number plate project.
His remarks added a technical dimension to the parliamentary inquiry, which is examining whether the system was adequately designed to meet Uganda’s vehicle-identification, traffic-management and security needs.
However, the precise circumstances of the experiment, the technology involved and the explanation for the location information reportedly provided by police have yet to be independently established.
The committee’s inquiry is focusing on the decisions that informed the project before implementation, including whether adequate technical and financial assessments were conducted and whether the system’s specifications were appropriate for the country’s needs.
The reported security-component failures have also raised questions about the system’s long-term sustainability, maintenance arrangements and the measures available to address technical shortcomings.
The ITMS was introduced to strengthen vehicle identification and monitoring through digital technology, with the broader objective of supporting law enforcement and improving road safety.
However, the concerns raised before Parliament have placed renewed attention on whether the system is performing as intended and whether the investment is delivering value for money.
The committee is expected to seek further explanations from the responsible officials regarding the project’s procurement process, technical performance and any corrective measures taken to address the reported failures.
As the inquiry continues, Parliament faces the task of establishing whether the concerns stem from technical limitations, implementation challenges or shortcomings in the original planning and design of the project.
