Ugandan ministers have expressed differing views on the functionality of the Intelligent Transport Monitoring System (ITMS). The system, implemented under a controversial numberplate deal with Russian firm Joint Stock Company Global Security, aims to strengthen crime detection through integrated vehicle monitoring. Ministers Gen. Katumba Wamala and Kahinda Otafiire appeared before Parliament's Physical Infrastructure Committee, which has been investigating the project for nearly two months.
Retired Major General Kahinda Otafiire questioned the effectiveness of ITMS in tracking vehicles, citing tests that raised doubts about the technology's ability to identify vehicle locations after number plates were removed. In contrast, Katumba Wamala defended the project as a security intervention. Otafiire, now Minister of Water and Environment, described the technology as more like a fleet management system than a sophisticated security platform.
Otafiire expressed concerns about the procurement process, stating that police, the intended user of the system, were not adequately involved in negotiations with the contractor. He also questioned the compatibility of the Russian technology with Uganda's existing CCTV surveillance infrastructure, which relies on Chinese technology. Otafiire claimed that police officers who participated in a due diligence visit told him they had not taken part in the negotiations.
Despite his reservations, Otafiire said implementation proceeded after he came under pressure to allow the project to move forward. He sought opinions from researchers, police officers, and contacts in Kenya but remained unconvinced that the proposed system would work as intended. Katumba Wamala, now Minister of Public Service, offered a different perspective, tracing ITMS to government efforts to address rising insecurity and improve crime investigations involving vehicles and motorcycles.
Katumba Wamala explained that President Yoweri Museveni directed government to adopt technology capable of tracking vehicles and supporting police investigations. The initiative brought together several government agencies, including police, the Uganda People's Defence Forces, the Ministry of Finance, and the Solicitor General. The original plan envisaged technology transfer to Uganda, with the National Enterprise Corporation taking over aspects of the project, including number plate production.
The two former ministers' accounts differ on whether the technology can deliver the expected security benefits. Katumba emphasised the project's security objectives and the need to integrate vehicle monitoring with other government systems. Otafiire questioned whether the installed technology was sufficiently capable of achieving those objectives. Their testimonies do not independently establish whether the system is currently functional or whether the problems described by Otafiire have since been resolved.
The Physical Infrastructure Committee is expected to examine the ministers' submissions alongside evidence from ministry officials and other stakeholders. The inquiry will investigate the procurement, implementation, and performance of the system, amid concerns about the cost of digital number plates, the contractor's role, and the financial arrangements under which the project was introduced. The committee will assess whether the system provides value for money and delivers the vehicle-monitoring and crime-detection capabilities that government cited as the justification for its introduction.
Key points
- Ministers Gen. Katumba Wamala and Kahinda Otafiire disagree over the effectiveness of Uganda's Intelligent Transport Monitoring System.
- The system was implemented to strengthen crime detection through integrated vehicle monitoring.
- The Physical Infrastructure Committee will investigate the procurement, implementation, and performance of the system.
