The digital number plate tracking system is working and several stolen vehicles have been tracked and recovered while following the digital plates, the Minister for Security, Hon. Jim Muhwezi, has told the House Committee on Physical Infrastructure.

Muhwezi was appearing before the committee alongside the Minister of State for Internal Affairs, Hon. Juma Witonze and Hon. Julius Wandera, the Minister of State for Works and Transport (Transport), on Wednesday, 30 September 2026.

Members on the committee chaired by Hon. Mwine Mpaka, investigating concerns about delays in the supply of digital number plates tasked the minister to explain whether vehicle tracking using the digital number plates was indeed working.

Hon. James Waluswaka (NRM, Bunyole West County) said that following the killing of former Arua Municipality MP, Hon. Ibrahim Abiriga in June 2018, the President had pointed out the need for trackers, which he said clearly needed to be the focus.

“I need an answer from the Minister in regards to this, because I have serious questions. Do these trackers really work?” he said.

Muhwezi said, “The system is working; it covers the whole country. A Police vehicle was stolen and the system traced it to Kenya, and it was recovered because of the digital plates. So, it covers Uganda and beyond.”

The Director of ICT at Uganda Police, who manages the Integrated Transport Management System, Felix Baryamwisaki, said they had so far recorded a 90 per cent recovery rate for vehicles that had been stolen or involved in crime.

He said that 337 of the 375 stolen motor vehicles had been recovered.

He said the only challenge was with motorcycles, where the recovery rate stood at 22 per cent. Only 174 motorbikes fitted with digital number plates had been recovered out of 782.

“This one will be solved. It is very low and this is countrywide. The tracker is in the GPS and not cameras,” he said.

Commenting on their challenges, Winston Katushabe, Commissioner for Transport Regulation and Safety at the Ministry of Works and Transport said there has been an improvement in waiting time for applicants of digital plates.

He said the average time required to get the plates was 19 days in December 2025, which has reduced to two days in September 2026; while it takes hours at the Malaba and Mutukula One Stop border posts.

The MPs also tasked the Ministry to explain how it arrived at the Shs714,000 cost of digital number plates, saying Ugandans cannot afford it.

“Really, they sat and they had to come to an agreement that vehicles should pay the same amount as boda bodas, and they did not consider the fact that boda riders are low-income earners,” Hon. Metrine Nanzala (NRM, Namisindwa County) said.

The committee has resolved to visit the ITMS monitoring centre to examine how the digital number plate technology operates, including its vehicle tracking and monitoring capabilities.

The visit is expected to provide legislators with a practical demonstration of how vehicles are identified through their registration plates, how information is processed and how the system supports Police operations.

The inspection will complement the committee’s examination of the policy, contractual and operational framework underpinning 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,” Mwine Mpaka said.