Otafiire Questions US$25 Million Digital Number Plate System, Cites Police Exclusion

Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire, the current Minister for Water and Environment and former Minister for Internal Affairs, has raised significant concerns regarding the US$25 million Intelligent Transport Monitoring System (ITMS) for digital number plates. Appearing before the Committee on Physical Infrastructure, Otafiire stated that the police force was not involved in the procurement process for the system.

Otafiire revealed that he had initially resisted the project due to a perceived incompatibility between the Russian technology proposed and the Chinese technology already in use for existing cameras. Despite his reservations, he felt pressured to approve the project’s progression.

Further questioning the system’s value, Otafiire cited due diligence findings that indicated the equipment was assembled from components made by various manufacturers. He shared his experience, suggesting the system functioned more as a fleet management tool than the advanced transport monitoring system promised to Uganda.

To illustrate its limitations, Otafiire recounted an experiment where number plates were removed from a vehicle and brought to his office, yet the system continued to show the vehicle’s location as its original spot. “So what they are selling to us is a tracking system. That is all,” he asserted, urging the committee to scrutinize whether the US$25 million expenditure was justified.

He also questioned why Ugandan manufacturers, like Wavamuno, who could produce number plates locally and create jobs, were overlooked in favor of importing them.

In contrast, former Works Minister Gen. (Rtd) Katumba Wamala shared a positive experience, noting that the police’s surveillance capabilities, potentially enhanced by the system, had helped track individuals involved in an assassination attempt against him.

However, Otafiire distinguished between the existing camera network and the ITMS, emphasizing that the latter’s effectiveness was questionable. He noted that the ITMS had only two computers installed at the police monitoring center, and even IT experts were unclear about its function.

Committee members also raised concerns about the pricing model, particularly the differing charges for new and old vehicles for what appeared to be the same service. The committee warned against adopting foreign technology without thorough assessment, recalling the initial contract with Joint Stock as a “total fiasco.”

Source: Parliament of Uganda