DIGITAL NUMBER PLATES FRAUD! Works Ministry Denies Secret Fees, Motorists Furious

Kampala — The Ministry of Works and Transport (MoWT) has been forced into damage-control mode after a storm of complaints from motorists alleging bribery, illegal fees, and mysterious delays in getting their digital number plates.

According to angry motorists, some officials and middlemen have reportedly turned vehicle registration into a “pay-or-wait-forever” circus—demanding between UGX 100k to 500k in ‘facilitation’ before processing applications.

But in a fiery statement issued on Friday, the Ministry denied running a “number plate bazaar,” insisting all fees are fixed—UGX 714,300 for first time registration for vehicles and motorcycles, UGX 150,000 and UGX 50,000 for digital upgrades for vehicles and motorcycles respectively, and UGX 75,000 for replacements for both categories.

MoWT said any extra charges are nothing but pure theft, warning that whoever is paying “tea” to speed up the process is doing so at their own risk. The Ministry says investigations are underway to “bring the culprits to book.”

The Permanent Secretary, Bageya Waiswa, even dropped a hotline and email for whistleblowers, practically begging the public to expose the extortion cartel that has turned number plate offices into their personal jackpot.

Sources say the bribery syndicate is so deep-rooted that some motorists spend weeks being tossed around like footballs until they “cooperate.”

To save face, the Ministry has now launched a flashy Dashboard Monitoring Tool, promising real-time tracking so that “ghost officials” have fewer corners to hide in.

Still, the public is not convinced. Many believe the rot goes beyond rogue staff — claiming systemic corruption has turned obtaining a plate into a high-stakes gamble.

For now, MoWT insists it’s committed to a corruption-free system.

But motorists say: “We’ll believe it when we see it.”