Facing growing backlash from motorists and industry groups, the Ugandan government has hit the brakes on its controversial automated traffic enforcement system, suspending it for a month to sort through what officials now admit are serious implementation flaws.
The Ministry of Works and Transport, alongside the Uganda Police Force, announced late Thursday that the Automated Express Penalty Scheme (Auto EPS) will be paused from June 12 to July 12.
“In consideration of the gaps and public concerns mentioned above,” said Gen. Katumba Wamala, Minister of Works and Transport, “the Ministry has found it necessary to immediately suspend the implementation of the #EPSAutoUg by one month… to enable the implementing agencies to address all the gaps in the regulation and the EPS Auto.”
The statement, shared on the Ministry’s X account (formerly Twitter), signaled an unusual but telling retreat by government officials following two weeks of stiff opposition from road users.
“In this time,” Katumba added, “the government will verify any concerns regarding fines that were issued on the system, review the regulation and sensitise the public… The Ministry will also continue to engage stakeholders to address their concerns with the system.”
Auto EPS, which went live just two weeks ago, uses automated surveillance and digital number plate tracking to issue fines—some reportedly as high as 20 percent of a vehicle’s value—for infractions like speeding. The swift rollout caught many drivers by surprise, with little time for public education or regulatory debate.
The system triggered immediate pushback from truckers, taxi operators and car dealers, who warned that if enforced in its current form, the fines would cripple their businesses. Talk of a national strike followed.
But the strike is now off the table—for now.
“We wrote to the Ministry of Works and Transport to halt the implementation of the fines, or we would go on strike,” said Rashid Ssekindi, chairperson of the Uganda Taxi Operators Federation. “The government has done what we wanted, and we are now asking them to involve us in improving the law.”
Transporters had planned to begin a strike on Monday, demanding a halt to what they called exorbitant penalties. That action is now suspended, pending further discussions.
Meanwhile, the conversation reached the very top of government Thursday evening, during the reading of the 2025/26 national budget.
“Finally, I saw some issues about the digital number plates, and fines,” President Museveni told the audience gathered at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds. “That people are being fined. But the issue about the number plates is not about fines, it is anti-crime.”
Museveni emphasized the original purpose of the digital plates: security and crime prevention.
“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.”
As the dust settles, attention now shifts to how authorities will use the 30-day pause. While the suspension defused tensions—for now—it also raised deeper questions about public engagement, transparency, and digital surveillance in Uganda’s evolving transport infrastructure.
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