Uganda requires its residents to register their motor vehicles and display vehicle registration plates. A serial letter is shown in the right part of the plate.
Old Uganda Government vehicles are written with red paint on a yellow/orange or white background. They all start with UG, followed by a number then a letter code to identify the ministry, department, or agency. ImageFirst issuedDesignSloganSerial formatSerials issuedNotes 1990Police Government vehicle are identified with the following codes:
A- Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries B- Electoral Commission & Human Rights Commission C- Office of the President / State House of Uganda D- Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs E- Ministry of Education and Sports F- Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development G-Ministry of Internal Affairs H- Parliament of Uganda/ Office of the Auditor General I- Ministry of Ministry of East African Community Affairs J- Ministry of Judiciary and Constitutional Affairs K- Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development L- Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development M- Ministry of Health N- Ministry of Information and Communications Technology O- Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation Q- Ministry of Public Service R- Ministry of Local Government S- Ministry of Water and Environment T- Uganda Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities U- Uganda Prisons Service W- Ministry of Works and Transport X- Ministry of Foreign Affairs Y- Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development Z- Office of the Prime Minister
Previously, Uganda had three agencies responsible for handling issues of license plates and these were; Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) and the Military Licensing Board (MLB). However, with effect from 1 July 2023 all vehicle registration functions were fully handed over to the Ministry of Works and Transport (MoWT) from Uganda Revenue Authority a move that had been in the pipeline for three years.
Transition to Digital number plates Uganda faced security challenges such as the several high-profile murders like that of Major Mohammed Kiggundu in November 2016, the Uganda Police spokesperson AIGP Felix Kaweesi in March 2017, Arua Municipality legislator Hon. Ibrahim Abiriga in June 2018, and that of former Buyende district Police Commander Muhamad Kirumira in September 2018 and the failed assassination of former army commander Gen. Katumba Wamala that claimed the life of his daughter in June 2021. All these murders seemed to have one common characteristic which was assailants following victims in their cars, shooting them and the move away with help of boda boda (motor bikes). This led to the birth of ideas of such as installing surveillance cameras in major towns and highways and also the use of digital number plates on all motor vehicles to ease tracking of criminals that had made it a habit to use vehicles to flee scenes of crime and ultimately combat crime.The ideas were majorly fronted by the President of Uganda Rtd. Gen. Yoweri Museveni who even re-echoed the same in his 2021 state of the nation address.
Government of Uganda in 2021 signed an agreement with a Russian firm Joint Stock Global Security Company to deliver the Intelligent Transport Monitoring System (ITMS) to be used in the tracking of motor vehicles in Uganda However the process that led to contracting the company was contested and even probed by the parliamentary committee on physical infrastructure and later to a classified Committee of the House However the probe and findings did not hinder government from continuing with the plan and the digital number plates drive was successfully launched in November 2023 by Security Minister Rtd Maj. Gen. Jim Muhwezi and his Works and Transport counterpart Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala starting with the installations of the technology enhanced plates on government owned vehicles.
Below is a description of the new codes on the digital registration plates for government ministries, departments and agencies vehicles according to the traffic and road safety (Registration plates) (amendment) (No.3) Regulations, 2024; +Digital Registration PlatesCodeGovernment agency UG 01 00001OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENTUG 02 00001EDUCATION SERVICE COMMISSIONUG 03 00001ELECTORAL COMMISSIONUG 04 00001EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES COMMISSIONUG 05 00001HEALTH SERVICES COMMISSIONUG 06 00001JUDICIAL SERVICES COMMISSIONUG 07 00001LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSIONUG 08 00001PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSIONUG 09 00001UGANDA HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONUG 10 00001UGANDA LAND COMMISSIONUG 11 00001UGANDA LAW REFORM COMMISSIONUG 12 00001MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE ANIMAL INDUSTRY AND FISHERIESUG 16 00001INSPECTORATE OF GOVERNMENTUG 18 00001MINISTRY OF DEFENCE AND VETERAN AFFAIRSUG 19 00001MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SPORTSUG 20 00001MINISTRY OF FINANCE PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTUG 21 00001MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRSUG 22 00001CLERK TO PARLIAMENTUG 23 00001AUDITOR GENERALUG 24 00001MINISTRY OF JUSTICE AND CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRSUG 25 00001COURTS OF JUDICATUREUG 26 00001DIRECTORATE OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONSUG 27 00001LAW DEVELOPMENT CENTERUG 29 00001MINISTRY OF ENERGY AND MINERAL DEVELOPMENTUG 30 00001MINISTRY OF LANDS, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENTUG 31 00001MINISTRY OF HEALTHUG 32 00001MINISTRY OF INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION AND NATIONAL GUIDANCEUG 33 00001MINISTRY OF PUBLIC SERVICEUG 34 00001MINISTRY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTUG 35 00001MINISTRY OF WATER AND ENVIRONMENTUG 36 00001MINISTRY OF TOURISM, WILDLIFE AND ANTIQUITIESUG 37 00001MINISTRY OF TRADE, INDUSTRIES AND CO-OPERATIVESUG 38 00001MINISTRY OF WORKS AND TRANSPORTUG 39 00001MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRSUG 40 00001MINISTRY OF GENDER LABOUR AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENTUG 41 00001OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTERUP 00001UGANDA POLICE FORCEUU 00001UGANDA PRISONS SERVICE
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