Digital number plates cannot be tracked, MPs establish

Parliament’s committee on Physical Infrastructure says it has established that Uganda’s digital number plates cannot themselves track vehicles.

The committee says instead, the police rely on a separate tracker installed in vehicles alongside the digital number plate to trace and recover stolen vehicles.

The finding has raised concerns about data security, privacy and the extent to which vehicle owners are informed about or consent to the installation and use of the tracking device.

Russian firm Joint Stock Company Global Security (JSCGS) signed a 10-year agreement with the government in 2021 to manufacture Uganda’s digital number plates under the Intelligent Transport Monitoring System (ITMS).

Project officials say the digital plates contain a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) tag linked to the wider ITMS for vehicle identification and tracking.

However, committee chairperson Mwine Mpaka said MPs had established during an oversight visit to the Police Command Centre in Naguru that the plate itself could not be tracked.

“The number plate cannot be tracked. We were at the police doing an oversight function, and now we have analysed all the features on this number plate. During installation, there is a tracker that is put in your vehicle, and there is also a number plate. So there are two components. So we can now conclusively state that the number plate cannot be tracked but rather the tracker that is inserted in the person’s vehicle,” Mpaka said.

The MPs visited the command centre to examine how the tracking system operates, following concerns raised by stakeholders about its security, vehicle-tracking functionality and capabilities.

Mpaka also questioned how the Russian private company gained access to the Police Command Centre under the arrangement, saying the issue raises concerns about potential data leakage and misuse.

The committee’s concerns come as parliament scrutinises the wider Digital Number Plate Project, including its security features, cost, production capacity and implementation.

Tracking stolen vehicles

Despite the concerns over the tracking mechanism, police have reported significant recoveries of stolen vehicles using the system.

While appearing before the committee, Police Director of ICT, AIGP Felix Baryamwisaki, said 337 of 375 stolen motor vehicles had been tracked and recovered, representing a 90 per cent recovery rate.

At Naguru, MPs were taken through the system in its operational environment and shown how the technology is used to identify, track and recover vehicles.

Mpaka said MPs wanted to test the system using their own vehicles rather than rely solely on a prepared demonstration.

The committee was also presented with documented security results showing the reported use of the technology beyond vehicle registration and plate issuance.

Cost and delays

The project has also faced scrutiny over the cost of the plates and delays in their issuance.

The official fee for a new digital number plate is Shs 714,300 for both motor vehicles and motorcycles. Replacement fees are Shs 150,000 for motor vehicles and Shs 50,000 for motorcycles.

The Uganda Manufacturers Association has questioned why Global Security was given an exclusive 10-year arrangement, arguing that the monopoly has contributed to delays, higher costs and disruption of businesses.

Car dealers told parliament that shortages had left some vehicles without plates for weeks or months.

Global Security project manager Damir Makhmutov said the company had the technical capacity to install 1,500 plates a day, but had completed 1,307 installations as of September 23, 2026.

The delays have been linked to potential losses of at least Shs 4 billion a week for the Uganda Revenue Authority.

There have also been complaints about motorists paying more than the official fees through intermediaries.

An inspection found one car-bond operator charging Shs 850,000 for a new plate, while another transaction carried a lump-sum charge of Shs 1.485 million for taxes, plates and clearance without an itemised breakdown.

Data concerns

Committee members also sought clarification on how information generated by the system is managed and stored.

Sam Okiding, Deputy Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) representative in Parliament, said he was convinced that the data is stored in Uganda.

The question of data management has become more significant following the committee’s finding that a separate tracking device is installed in vehicles alongside the digital plate.

Mpaka said the arrangement raises questions about the handling of motorists’ information and the safeguards in place to prevent unauthorised access or misuse.