Museveni Summons ITMS Contractor Over Surging Project Costs and Tracking Failures

President Yoweri Museveni has stepped into the ongoing controversy surrounding Uganda’s Intelligent Transport Management System (ITMS), summoning the proprietors of the Russian firm Joint Stock Company Global Security to answer pressing questions. According to reports from the Nile Post, the summons follows serious concerns raised over a dramatic project cost escalation from $123 million to $257 million, alongside significant gaps in the digital tracking infrastructure.

The intervention occurred during a high-level meeting at State House, Entebbe, where Museveni met with Parliament’s Committee on Physical Infrastructure. Chaired by Mwine Mpaka, the committee has been conducting an extensive inquiry into the ITMS contract, probing implementation delays, financial arrangements, and legal ambiguities surrounding public revenue collection.

Lawmakers revealed that digital number plates were allegedly omitted from the contractor’s initial agreement, sparking questions about how the scope expanded. Furthermore, the committee heard that tracking stolen vehicles becomes impossible after four days, casting doubt on the system’s core crime-fighting utility. Compounding these issues, the contractor has reportedly failed to install any of the 350 committed cameras, relying instead on pre-existing police CCTV networks.

The parliamentary inquiry has also scrutinised revenue-sharing projections, bank accounts, and the misuse of presidential directives to bypass legal procedures. While government officials like Hajj Yunus Kakande have defended the agreement as a novel initiative experiencing teething problems, Attorney General Dr Sam Mayanja has called for a comprehensive review.

Read the full report on Nile Post.