Katumba, Otafiire clash over digital number plates

What the report says

Uganda’s controversial Intelligent Transport Monitoring System and digital number plates project came under sharp scrutiny as two cabinet ministers presented opposing views before parliament’s physical infrastructure committee. The Observer reported that Public Service minister Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala defended the programme as a security measure meant to improve vehicle tracking and support crime detection, while Water and Environment minister Kahinda Otafiire called it ineffective and questioned whether it had delivered any real value.

According to the report, Otafiire argued that the system was introduced with limited infrastructure at the Police Command Centre in Naguru and said he had not seen evidence of improvement. He also defended the earlier Huawei-backed CCTV network, though the article noted that that system had faced corruption allegations during his tenure as Internal Affairs minister. Otafiire further raised concerns about abandoning the long-time plate manufacturer linked to businessman Gordon Wavamunno and suggested that other commercial fleet-tracking tools were more advanced.

Katumba, by contrast, told MPs the project originated from a presidential directive to create an integrated vehicle-monitoring system for police work. He said several institutions were involved, including the police, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces, the finance ministry and the Solicitor General. The article also quoted police ICT director AIGP Felix Baryamwisaki saying 337 of 375 stolen motor vehicles had been tracked and recovered through the system, though the committee is still expected to review records and hear more evidence before reaching conclusions.

The hearing matters because the digital number plate programme has been one of Uganda’s most debated technology projects, with ongoing questions about procurement, implementation and whether it is delivering the security results government has promised.