Digital number plate system was usless- Otafiire

Minister of Water and Environment Gen. Kahinda Otafiire has questioned the value of Uganda’s digital number plate project, describing it as useless during his tenure as Minister of Internal Affairs and arguing that the government should have strengthened existing police surveillance systems instead of importing technology that local manufacturers could produce.

Otafiire said the police camera network was already functional in areas where cameras had been installed, although some required technical repairs.

He questioned why the government had sidelined local manufacturers in favour of Joint Stock Company Global Security (JSCGS), a Russian-based firm contracted to implement the Intelligent Transport Monitoring System (ITMS).

Otafiire argued that the government could have incorporated tracking devices into Gordon Wavamuno’s existing number plate system at a comparable cost rather than shutting down local production and importing plates.

“Why did we have to shut down our own factory in order to import things we could make here?” he asked. He said he was reluctant to credit ITMS with improving security because he had not seen sufficient evidence of its impact.

He also questioned a demonstration conducted by JSCGS at the police central monitoring centre in Naguru, saying the company brought two computers to demonstrate the system but his information technology experts could not understand what was being presented.

The minister further alleged that an attempt to connect JSCGS’s system to an existing police platform for issuing instant traffic penalties was followed by unrest. “They nearly caused us a civil war,” he said, without providing further details in the remarks available.

Otafiire’s concerns echo objections he raised before Parliament’s Committee on Physical Infrastructure in August 2023, when he questioned the company’s involvement in the security infrastructure and said he had advised President Museveni to allow the foreign contractor to work with existing Ugandan number plate manufacturers. He also said a police-led due diligence exercise had raised questions about the company’s technology and its deployment elsewhere.

The project is now facing renewed scrutiny over the legality of its contract, implementation delays, costs and security benefits. Government signed a 10-year agreement with JSCGS in July 2021, giving the company responsibility for producing digital number plates under the ITMS project.

The Uganda Manufacturers Association has told Parliament that the arrangement disadvantaged local manufacturers and contributed to higher costs and delays. On October 6, 2026, Attorney General Sam Mayanja told the Parliamentary Committee on Physical Infrastructure that the agreement was legally null and unenforceable, while JSCGS has presented documents defending the contract’s legality.

The parliamentary inquiry is also examining the cost of the plates, reportedly Shs714,300, and whether the system’s security features justify the charges imposed on motorists.

Lawmakers have questioned the delays in supplying plates and the effectiveness of vehicle tracking, while government officials have defended the system’s security benefits.

Otafiire’s remarks add to the debate over whether the project has delivered value for money, protected local manufacturing and strengthened the police’s ability to prevent and investigate crime. The committee’s findings are expected to clarify the contractual, financial and operational concerns surrounding the project.

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