Minister Katumba Suspends Express Penalty System

The Ministry of Works and Transport has temporarily suspended the Automated Express Penalty System (EPS Auto) following public outcry. 

The Ministry announced the temporary suspension of the EPS Auto system in a statement released on Wednesday.

“Effective suspension takes effect tonight by midnight. Implementing the automated Express Penalty System (AEPS) is suspended following a comprehensive review.” The statement reads.

The statement noted that the Minister of Transport will communicate further details on the review in due course.

“The Minister of Works and Transport, Gen. Katumba Wamala, will deliver an official statement tomorrow detailing the way forward. We urge all motorists to continue driving responsibly and to strictly adhere to traffic regulations during this period.” 

Motorists, including taxi drivers, had given the government a 5-day ultimatum to cancel the new traffic regulations, threatening a nationwide protest if their demands weren’t met.

Earlier in the day, a group of Kampala taxi operators, led by Rashid Ssekindi, Chairperson of the Uganda Federation of Taxi Operators (UTOF), petitioned the Ministry of Works and Transport, demanding the cancellation of the speed limit regulation.

However, a meeting between the taxi operators and the Ministry of Works and Transport Commissioner Winston Katushabe ended abruptly due to disagreements over new traffic regulations. While Katushabe suggested changes would be made, the operators insisted on complete cancellation of the regulations.  

In their petition to the Ministry, read by Ssekindi, the taxi operators criticised the roll-out of the new Express Penalty Scheme, arguing that it will exacerbate road-related problems rather than alleviate them.

On Wednesday, a concerned citizen, Kagingo Muhammad Brutus, petitioned the High Court seeking an interim injunction to halt the issuance of digital number plates and the collection of express traffic penalty fees. He argued that the company currently handling the process, Joint Stock Company Global Security, is fraudulent and non-existent in law.

In his application, Kagingo contends that Global Security was struck off the register of companies by the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) after it failed to file returns for over five years. He maintains that the company was not a legally registered entity at the time it was awarded the government contract to issue digital number plates.

Kagingo also claims that Global Security was never gazetted, as required by law, before commencing the collection of traffic-related fees. He links the ongoing public outcry over exorbitant traffic express penalties to the questionable legality of the company.