Face Technologies to digitise vehicle records
Vehicle registration and management had previously been managed under URA but this will shift to the Ministry of Works. Photo | Edgar R Batte
What you need to know:
- The contracted to print driving permits had not been renewed after Finance Minister Matia Kasaija and Permanent Secretary Keith Muhakanizi, had separately written to the Works Ministry citing a whistleblower report that had alleged anomalies in the management of the project and arguing against the extension.
South African company, Face Technologies has been contracted by the Ministry of Works to digitise motor registration records from Uganda Revenue Authority (URA).
Speaking on the sidelines of the launch of the motor third party mobile platform, Mr Brian Matsiko, the Ministry of Works ICT officer, said government was in the process of digitising all motor vehicle records in the country for security purposes.
The project, he said, is being executed by Face Technologies, the company that is currently working on issuance of driving permits.
“We signed an 18 month contract with the company to digitise the records. We have a contract with Face Technologies, it is the one doing this,” he said.
URA in March handed over the warehouse and database for motor vehicle registration records to the Ministry of works for digitisation.
The move sought, according to brief by the Ministry of Works seeks to streamline, digitise and archive all motor vehicle registration records as part of the transition of the management and administration of motor vehicle registration from URA to Ministry of Works.
The process, which started in March was, however, affected by Covid-19.
Mr Matsiko indicated that slightly above one million motor vehicles’ records are still in paper form.
The goal, he noted, is to ensure that government has an updated database for motor vehicles, which will be necessary for transport planning and crime management.
Ministry of Works will upon completion of digitising of the records that will be housed under a temporary database, create a new system where all the records will be shifted.
Face Technologies, the company in charge of printing computerised driving permits has for close to 15 year, until last year, been in charge of issuing driving permits.
However, the function has now been moved to Ministry of Works. Face Technologies was recently offered a six-month extension within which the Ministry of Works and Face Technologies would work on a transition.
The contracted to print driving permits had not been renewed after Finance Minister Matia Kasaija and Permanent Secretary Keith Muhakanizi, had separately written to the Works Ministry citing a whistleblower report that had alleged anomalies in the management of the project and arguing against the extension.
Gen Katumba Wamala, the State minister for Works, responded with a 14-page letter against what he said were “unsubstantiated allegations” that were “in bad faith and biased”.
Catalysts
Records of slightly above one million car records are still in paper form.
