The Ugandan government's efforts to clear the backlog of digital number plates have yielded results, with the production backlog now cleared and average fitment times significantly reduced. This development comes after Parliament's Committee on Physical Infrastructure, led by Mwine Mpaka, pressed stakeholders for concrete evidence of supply failures and solutions to implementation problems affecting businesses.
Minister of Works and Transport Fred Byamukama intervened in July to address delays in digital number plate issuance that affected motorists and vehicle dealers. Winston Katushabe, Commissioner for Transport Regulation and Safety, reported that the situation had improved significantly, with customers now receiving number plates in real-time and installation kits available.
According to the Ministry's implementation report, the shortage of digital registration plate components was fully recovered by August 2026, with steady supplies restored and the backlog cleared during the same month. The average time required to fit digital registration plates at Kampala bonds fell from 19 days in December 2025 to two days in September 2026.
Performance at bonds has also improved significantly, with the average registration time, including fitment, falling to two days and 72% of cases completed within two calendar days in September 2026. This is a sharp improvement from July, when the average registration time was six days and only 33% of cases were completed within two calendar days.
The implementation of digital registration plates has also led to a significant increase in government revenue, with taxes collected increasing by 17% and overall government revenue rising by 16.4% in the first financial year of implementation. The Ministry attributed the increase to stronger enforcement of compliance following the implementation of digital registration plates.
The Digital Number Plate System has also demonstrated its role in supporting vehicle tracing, theft investigations, and the recovery of stolen property. Police reports have included individual cases in which digital tracing supported investigations involving stolen motorcycles and boda-boda riders, providing additional context to the Committee's examination of the programme.
The Committee, chaired by Mpaka, will continue to closely follow the implementation of the Digital Number Plate Project and engage with the programme as part of its ongoing parliamentary oversight. The improvements in service delivery and security outcomes demonstrate the public value of the Digital Number Plate Programme, which is already being used by Police to support vehicle tracing and giving vehicle owners greater visibility over their registration status.
Key points
- The backlog of digital number plates has been cleared, with average fitment times significantly reduced.
- Government revenue has risen by 16.4% due to stronger enforcement of compliance following the implementation of digital registration plates.
- The Digital Number Plate System is being used by Police to support vehicle tracing, theft investigations, and the recovery of stolen property.
