‘Someone hid my letter to Museveni on digital number plates’ - Gen Otafiire

Otafiire told the MPs that he wrote to the President advising him not to contract the Russian firm to manage the digital number plates project in Uganda, but that the letter was hidden.

The minister believes the letter was never delivered to President Museveni because he never received a reply.

"I wrote that the Russian company can work with the current manufacturers of number plates in Uganda and explore the possibility of putting their chips on the number plates in Uganda,” he said.

“I intimated to him that it would be a bit insensitive for us to shut down a local manufacturer in favor of the importation of number plates when we can do it here. I never received a reply, I doubt whether the President received that communication," Kahinda revealed.

Minister Otafiire, while appearing before the Committee on Physical Infrastructure on Tuesday, 22 August 202, said had never heard of the Russian firm called Joint Stock Company Global Security

The MPs had questioned the minister on how the Russian firm had come to Uganda, and how its contract was processed.

“This thing started in 2019, I am just a cog in the whole machine,” responded the minister.

“ I do not know who is doing what. What is disappointing is that the Police who would have been the principal actor, was largely kept out,” he added.

Otafiire also told the committee that he authorized a team to carry out due diligence on the Joint Stock Company Global Security and its station in Russia.

“The team brought back a report and informed me that there were no digital number plate manufacturing companies in Russia and that such a service is only being provided in Poland,” said the minister.

Asked by Hon. Maurice Kibalya (NRM, Bugabula County South) about his knowledge of the company setting up fitting centers at different bonds in the country, the minister said he was not aware of it.

“Are you aware that this Joint Stock Company is also phasing out local companies that have been manufacturing number plates?” Kibalya asked.

Otafiire said the Inspectorate of Government (IGG) halted the decision to phase out local number plate-making companies in Uganda.

"The IGG is supposed to have halted the whole project. The IGG instructed the Ministry of Works not to halt the production of number plates," he noted.

The digital number plate project under the Intelligent Transport Monitoring System will be implemented in a phased manner and managed by Joint Stock Company Global Security for 10 years before it is handed over to the government.

New vehicle and motorcycle owners will pay Shs714,000 for the digital number plates while already registered road users will be required to pay Shs150,000 and Shs50,000 for vehicles and motorcycles.

However, the Tororo District Woman Representative, Hon. Sarah Opendi has petitioned Parliament on the high cost of the new number plates expected to be rolled out on 31 October 2023.