By Our Reporter
Uganda’s controversial new traffic enforcement system is triggering chaos across the country, leaving car dealers, taxi drivers, and loan companies in financial ruin — and they’re furious.
At the center of the storm is the Automatic Express Penalty Scheme (Auto EPS), a high-tech traffic surveillance system rolled out by police to catch speeding and other road violations. Offenders are slapped with instant fines via SMS or email. But here’s the kicker — the penalties don’t always reach the actual culprits.
In a nation where most vehicles are bought on loan, the registered owners are often banks or dealerships — not the drivers themselves. This has created a legal and financial nightmare for businesses who suddenly find themselves buried under fines for offenses they didn’t commit.
“The fines are sent to us, even though we are not the ones driving the cars,” says William Busuulwa, chairman of the Uganda National Transport Alliance. “It’s completely unfair.”
Under the new rules, drivers must pay fines within 72 hours — or face a punitive 50% surcharge. Some are already being billed up to Shs900,000 in a matter of minutes. Dealers are left chasing down drivers who may already be long gone — and many are refusing to pay up.
And the frustration doesn’t stop there.
Taxi operators and commercial drivers are in uproar over what they say are ambiguous road signs and unrealistic speed limits. Under the law, motorists must slow to 30km/hr near schools, markets, or busy zones — but Uganda’s major highways run straight through towns, turning high-speed routes into crawl zones.
“Most of our highways are like streets now,” says Busuulwa. “If you drive at 30km/hr the whole way, how will you reach your destination?”
Transport leaders Rashid Ssekindi and Mustafa Mayambala are warning that a massive taxi strike could be on the horizon if the government doesn’t act fast. Their message? This system is broken, and the people won’t suffer in silence.
As the nation braces for possible shutdowns in public transport, one thing is clear: Uganda’s road to traffic safety has hit a dangerous detour.