Museveni slams Auto EPS rollout, says digital plates meant for security, not fines

Kampala, Uganda: President Yoweri Museveni yesterday reprimanded officials behind the controversial Express Penalty System (EPS Auto), arguing that the primary purpose of digital number plates and the whole Intelligent Transport Monitoring System (ITMS) is national security, not revenue collection through outrageous traffic fines.

Speaking at the reading of the 2025/2026 National Budget at Kololo Independence Grounds on Thursday, Mr Museveni expressed frustration over the growing perception that the digital rollout was intended to punish motorists.

“I saw some news about the digital number plates and fines. But the issue is not fines, it’s anti-crime,” said Museveni. “The confusion may have come because we didn’t have the money upfront, so we asked the implementers to recover their costs from offenders. But the focus is not money or fines. It is security.”

The President’s remarks came just a day after the Minister for Works and Transport, Gen Edward Katumba Wamala, suspended the EPS Auto system for at least a month following a nationwide outcry over what many called “punitive and exploitative” traffic enforcement.

The EPS Auto system, launched under the 2024 Traffic and Road Safety (Prescription of Speed Limits) Regulations, had imposed automatic fines of Shs200,000 for drivers exceeding 30km/h near schools and hospitals, and Shs600,000 for speeds above 50km/h on urban roads and highways.

Implemented by the Russian firm M/s Joint Stock Company Global Security, EPS Auto is part of a larger security framework that includes digital number plates, AI-driven vehicle tracking, and surveillance CCTVs across the country.

However, President Museveni stressed and made it clear that the core objective is traceability to prevent and solve crime. “These are digitised number plates linked to a central command post. If you tamper with them, an alarm is triggered. Every vehicle must be traceable, whether it’s a car or a pikipiki. That’s the point,” he said.

The President traced the origin of the ITMS to 2018, when he proposed 10 new security measures following the assassination of Arua Municipality MP Ibrahim Abiriga. These included security cameras, electronic plates, and biometric gun registration.

“Since then, cameras have helped us solve many cases. This is why we must go technical,” Museveni noted.

He also expressed dismay that the original anti-crime vision of ITMS had been overshadowed by overzealous monetization. “I cannot accept our people dying because of an incomplete infrastructure,” he warned, in a veiled rebuke of those responsible for the system’s rollout without adequate public education or readiness.