Digital Number Plates. The legality, transparency, and authenticity of digital number plates project is being questioned
A Ugandan citizen identified as M. Brutus Kagingo, has dragged the Government of Uganda and a Russian-owned company to court over the controversial rollout of the much-hyped digital number plates.
Leaked court documents indicate that the case was filed under Civil Suit No. 183 of 2025, with the defendants being the Attorney General (Government), Joint Stock Company Global Security, and its directors Ivan Shkarban and Makhmutov Damir. The suit raises serious questions about the legality, transparency, and authenticity of the project that has already seen large-scale rollout across the country.
According to the Plaintiff’s lawyers, the digital number plates project is being executed through Virtus Global Security Company Limited—a company that has since been struck off Uganda’s Company Register, yet continues to operate under the alleged protection of the government.
The Plaintiff further claims that the “digital” number plates being distributed are not digital at all. The suit challenges the entire project on grounds of fraudulent misrepresentation, noting that the plates lack embedded chips, tracking technologies, or any features that would justify being called “digital”. The public, according to the Plaintiff, is being misled and charged exorbitant fees for what are essentially ordinary metallic number plates.
The lawsuit further seeks several court orders, including:
- Immediate freezing of all funds of Virtus Global Security Company held in Ecobank and Stanbic bank (accounts withheld for now).
- An interim order to halt all collection of money from the public under the digital plates program.
- Suspension of the distribution and issuance of the alleged digital plates pending a full hearing.
The Plaintiff argues that these actions violate Articles 50 and 8A of the 1995 Constitution, as well as the rights of Ugandans to social justice and economic transparency under Objective XIV of the National Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy.
The High Court is expected to hear the interim application in June 2025.
If the claims are upheld, the implications could be far-reaching, including the halting of a multi-billion-shilling national project and potential criminal investigations into those behind the scheme.
The Attorney General’s office and representatives of the Russian company are yet to respond to the lawsuit or issue any public statement.
This revelation adds to mounting public concern over privatization of critical national services and foreign involvement in Uganda’s security and data infrastructure.
