President Yoweri Museveni has noted that the roll out of digital number plates and the Intelligent Transport Monitoring System (ITMS) was meant to enhance the country’s security setup not to issue fines through the express penalties to citizens.
“I think the confusion about fines could be because we didn’t have money, and we told these people to do the number plates and recover money through those who make mistakes. I think that’s when the confusion started but the issue is about the digitized number plates, every vehicle must have a digital number plate, traceable by the central command”
Mr Museveni added, “To know which motorcycles, cars were in this area at this time because these number plates which can be picked off and on at any time are useless, this is the whole thing about digital number plates, it’s not about money or fines, it’s about security. Such a young man who was killed, they are acting with impunity this is what I can’t accept. It’s about security, not money, fines what rubbish!”
President Museveni who made the remarks during the reading of the national budget in Kololo on Thursday cited the recent abduction and killing of 45 year old Godfrey Wayengera, 45, in Mukono district and further stressed that the use of the ITMS is to track movement of vehicles used by criminal elements while carrying out crime.
“The one who is going to kill people doesn’t call for witnesses so I decided that we go technical and install cameras, the cameras have helped us to handle a number of things but the problem they have is these number plates are just cooked. These are digitized number plates with a central command post, you touch it, the alarm goes off, this is the aim of the digital number plates not collecting fines”.
Mr Museveni added, “I can’t accept our Ugandans dying because of an incomplete infrastructure, you remember when I addressed you in parliament in 2018, I told you about the cameras, you were here with your policemen asking yourselves who had set eyes on the criminal” he said.
While addressing journalists on Friday, Security Minister Maj. Gen. Jim Muhwezi said there has been a mix up on the amount of money in penalties motorists are to pay when fined with the security essence of the ITMS during roll out which is set to be resolved by the Ministry of works.
“This isn’t a security issue, it’s the ministry of transport, it’s the law which put the money at 30 currency points which when translated into money becomes high and the Minister of works and transport (Gen Katumba Wamala) is going to review it, to reduce it but the ITMS is intended to bring security to the people” he said.
Mr Muhwezi further noted that the ITMS will help security know the movement of vehicles especially when there is commission of a crime as the President said yesterday.
“People are now getting diverted because of the penalties, these laws were in place but weren’t being enforced and now when the camera has started working, enforcing it and penalties are implemented, it has come out that the 30 and 10 currency points which is in the law is on the high side” he said.
Mr Muhwezi said he has held talks with the transport ministry which has suspended the implementation of the law until 15th July as they sort out the different discrepancies.
