Ministers Jim Muhwezi (L), Julius Wandera and Juma Witonze (R) appearing before the Parliamentarly Committee on Physical Infrastructure on Wednesday, 30 September 2026.
By Joseph Kiggundu
KAMPALA — Security Minister Jim Muhwezi has told Parliament that Uganda’s digital number plate system is operational and has helped security agencies trace and recover stolen vehicles, including one recovered in Kenya.
Muhwezi made the disclosure on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, while appearing before the Physical Infrastructure Committee alongside State Minister for Internal Affairs Juma Witonze and State Minister for Works and Transport (Transport) Julius Wandera.
The committee, chaired by Mwine Mpaka, is investigating concerns surrounding delays in the supply of digital number plates and questioned the ministers on whether the Integrated Transport Management System (ITMS) can effectively track vehicles.
Bunyole West MP James Waluswaka asked the minister to clarify whether the tracking technology was delivering the security benefits that had been anticipated when the system was introduced.
“The system is working; it covers the whole country,” Muhwezi said. He cited the recovery of a stolen Police vehicle in Kenya as evidence that the technology can track vehicles beyond Uganda’s borders.
Felix Baryamwisaki, the Uganda Police Director of ICT who oversees the ITMS, told MPs that 337 out of 375 motor vehicles reported stolen or linked to criminal activity had been recovered, representing a recovery rate of about 90 per cent.
Motorcycles, however, have recorded a significantly lower recovery rate. Baryamwisaki said only 174 of the 782 motorcycles fitted with digital plates had been recovered, representing about 22 per cent.
He said the tracking technology relies on GPS rather than cameras.
“This one will be solved. It is very low and this is countrywide. The tracker is in the GPS and not cameras,” Baryamwisaki said.
The committee also questioned officials about delays in issuing digital number plates. Winston Katushabe, Commissioner for Transport Regulation and Safety at the Ministry of Works and Transport, said the waiting period had fallen substantially.
According to Katushabe, applicants waited an average of 19 days for digital plates in December 2025, compared with about two days by September 2026. At the Malaba and Mutukula One Stop Border Posts, he said, the process takes only a few hours.
MPs also raised concerns over the Shs714,000 cost of the digital number plates, arguing that the charge could place a financial burden on vehicle owners.
Namisindwa County MP Metrine Nanzala questioned why motorists and motorcycle taxi operators were being subjected to similar charges despite differences in their incomes.
The committee has resolved to visit the ITMS monitoring centre to assess the technology firsthand and establish how the system identifies and tracks vehicles.
The inspection will also allow MPs to examine how information generated through the digital plates is processed and used by security agencies, as well as assess the wider policy, contractual and operational arrangements governing the project.
“We shall have our own number plates. Do not expect to show us your own number plates. We want to see if you are tracking,” Mpaka told officials.