Russian firm says it can install 1,500 digital plates daily as global shipping disruptions delay supplies

What the report says

A company behind Uganda’s digital number plate rollout says it can speed up installations despite recent delays in supply and deployment. According to The Independent Uganda, Damir Makhmutov, project manager for the Intelligent Transport Monitoring System at Joint Stock Company Global Security, told a parliamentary committee in Kampala that the firm has the staff and equipment to fit as many as 1,500 plates a day.

Makhmutov said the government had written to the company about the delays and linked part of the disruption to wider shipping problems affecting imports. He said that, as of September 23, the company had completed 1,307 installations. The committee did not say which specific shipments were delayed or how long the shortages had lasted.

The hearing comes as conflicts have continued to disrupt major international shipping routes, including traffic diverted away from the Red Sea and Suez Canal, which can lengthen delivery times and raise costs. That background was noted in the report as a possible factor behind supply bottlenecks, though not all details were confirmed by the committee.

Lawmakers said they will review whether the programme’s capacity is translating into timely service for motorists and whether the system’s security features justify its cost. The inquiry is expected to be concluded and reported back to Parliament.