Self-driving govt officials, politicians given 3 months to acquire driving licences

The traffic police will in three months start going hard on government officials and politicians who drive vehicles without driving licences, ministry of Works and Transport has said.

The state minister for Transport Fred Byamukama said government officials and politicians are fond of intimidating traffic police officers on the roads with their ‘titles’ when they commit a traffic offence or misuse government vehicles.

Byabaka now says after the 3-month deadline, those found driving without a license will be treated according to the Traffic and Road Safety Act and other relevant laws of Uganda. Byabakama said whether the government official or politician is driving an official or private vehicle, they don’t enjoy any immunity once they violate traffic rules and regulations.

“The law doesn’t exclude them including me. Once you’re to drive yourself, you must have a driving licence, this is how government vehicles have been misused. Majority of the people have abandoned their drivers, they are driving themselves and when the traffic officers stop them that person [claims] ‘I’m commissioner’, ‘I’m director.’ So we’re going to partner with police to ensure sanity on the road. Regardless of your level as long as you’re driving yourself, you have a maximum of 3 months and whoever wouldn’t have got a driver’s license and you have got driving either your personal car or government car, you will be worked upon as indicated in the law,” said Byabakama.

Byamukama was inspecting the facilities at the Uganda Security Printing Company (USPC), which is responsible for the processing of driving licences. Three years ago, the company was given the mandate to produce and issue licenses on behalf of the ministry, while maintaining or improving the standards that had been exhibited by its predecessor, Face Technologies Ltd.

He says no one should give the excuse of difficulties in getting the license, since the efficiency in the process has greatly improved from 75 to almost 100 per cent, a great achievement by the USPC. He says, for example, that recently when he wanted to renew his license, it took him less than 25 minutes, adding that the system has greatly done away with incidents of bribery.

USPC managing director, Dr George Mugerwa attributed the improved efficiency to easy collaboration between the company and other government agencies especially the ministry of Works. He said that now they are focusing on extending the services beyond the centre so that it will be easy to acquire the licenses even in the rural areas

Byamukama said their outreach exercises have seen close to 12,000 people get licenses without going to the headquarters. He added that a system is being put in place to ensure that all services, including banking and revenue services, will be done within the premises, and replicated upcountry.