The rollout of digital car number plates, originally slated for July, has been rescheduled to commence on October 31, 2023, according to Minister for Security, Jim Muhwezi. The shift in date is attributed to logistical challenges faced by the service provider.
Minister Muhwezi said, “We’re gearing up to initiate the project in early November or by the close of October. While our initial target was the beginning of July, unforeseen logistical hurdles hindered our plans. However, we’re confident that by October 31, the service provider will be primed for a successful launch.”
This announcement was made during Minister Muhwezi’s appearance before the Committee on Physical Infrastructure on Tuesday. He emphasized that the government is not allocating any funding to the project; instead, the investor is fully financing it.
Dubbed the Intelligent Transport Monitoring System (ITMS), the implementation will be implemented in phases under the management of Joint Stock Company Global Security for a decade. Subsequently, control will transition to the government.
Winston Katushabe, Commissioner for Transport Regulation and Safety at the Ministry of Works and Transport, said that over the course of the 10-year period, the government will receive a portion of the non-tax revenue generated.
Katushabe explained that the pricing strategy for the new digital number plates is underpinned by a comprehensive financial model encompassing the total investment in the system, sales of number plates and traffic fines.
As for the fee structure, new vehicle and motorcycle owners will be charged Shs714,000 for acquiring digital number plates. Existing registered road users, on the other hand, will pay Shs150,000 for vehicles and Shs50,000 for motorcycles.
“Our initial focus will be Kampala, the epicenter of vehicular activity and a hotbed of criminal incidents. We’ll progressively extend the program to other regions across the nation,” said the minister.