President Yoweri Museveni has spoken out on heavy traffic fines under the automated Express Penalty System (EPS), revealing how he thinks the confusion on the same (Express Penalty System) started.
Speaking after he (through his finance minister Matia Kasaija) delivered the budget speech for the 2025-2026 financial year in Kampala, Museveni defended digital number plates and the auto EPS.
Museveni said the digital number plates were meant to fight crimes. He added that he would not look on as Ugandans lose their lives due to incomplete infrastructure.
“I saw some issue about the digital number plates, and fines. That people are being fined for I don’t know what. But the issue about the number plates is not about fines, it is anti-crime. I cannot accept our Ugandans dying because of incomplete infrastructure,” the president said.
“The cameras have helped us handle a number of things. These digitised number plates have a central command force, you touch it and an alarm goes off, that’s their work, not collecting fines and so on.”
The president then said then explained the origin of the confusion on the EPS. He admitted that because the government did not have money, it was agreed that drivers who made mistakes should be fined to meet the costs incurred by the investor.
“I think the confusion about the automated Express Penalty System fines could be because we didn’t have the money upfront. So, we told those people to make the digital number plates, and we would recover the money from those who ‘make mistakes,” explained Museveni.
“I think that’s where the confusion started, otherwise every vehicle must have a digital number plate: it is not about money or fines, no! It’s about security.”
You can read the full budget speech and state of the nation address 2025, word by word, Here and There.
It should be remembered that Museveni’s government suspended the automated Express Penalty System after several complaints and as taxi operators threatened to go on a nation-wide strike after they walked out of a stormy meeting with a transport ministry commissioner, as reported Here and There.
Meanwhile, the owners of the Russian company that will be taking 80 per cent of the traffic fines money paid by Ugandans have been revealed as reported Here.
It is also worth remembering that the controversy surrounding the deal for the bankrupt Russian company had divided Museveni’s generals and ministers, with a hard hitting letter from one of them to Museveni reportedly hidden and blocked from reaching the head of state, as reported Here and There.
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