The Minister for Security Rtd Maj Gen Jim Katuguugu Muhwezi has blamed Kampala City Traders Association (KACITA) for the delay in the massive rollout of digital number plates by the Ministry of Works and Transport.
While addressing the Media on July 4, 2024, at Uganda Media Centre in Kampala on the progress of the digital number plates project, the Minister for Security noted that the roll-out of the project was supposed to be March 1, 2024, but it was postponed to July 1, 2023, due to logistical challenges and other unforeseen hindrances.
“Towards the roll-out date of the project on 01st July 2023, the business community led by KACITA petitioned Parliament to halt the exercise citing lack of enough public sensitization and readiness of the public,” Muhwezi said.
The Minister further explained how a Russian firm Joint Stock Company “Global Security”, the contracted service provider to deliver the Intelligent Transport Monitoring System (ITMS) was affected by the Russia-Ukraine war.
“Given the above, and coupled with logistical issues on the side of the service provider partly caused by the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, an extension was made to 1st November 2023, starting with the fitment of new registration plates to Government Vehicles,” Muhwezi added.
The Minister highlighted that by 26th June 2024, a total of thousand ninety-one (1091) vehicles from various ministries had been fitted with the new registration plates falling short of the required numbers due to persistent logistical challenges which are slowly being resolved.
In June 2024, Kacita leaders had refused the digital number plate project saying it was too costly and needed time for the people to first be sensitized before the government could fully implement the project.
The KACITA chairperson Musoke Thaddeus Nagenda recommended that this project be implemented in a phased manner beginning with government vehicles and motorcycles and can then be made voluntary to the public from which the full enrollment can be effected.
Nagenda had suggested that the cost of the number plates should not be more than shs200,000 for a new one on motor vehicles and shs130,000/- for motorcycles and the replacement fee maintained at 50,000/- for all categories.
