Otafiire denies knowing Joint Stock Company Global Security

By Francis Lubega

22^nd Aug 2023

The Minister of Internal Affairs Gen Kahinda Otafiire has denied knowledge and involvement in the project of the Russian company called “Joint Stock Company Global Security” contracted to produce digitized number plates.

Appearing before the Parliamentary Physical Infrastructure committee chaired by Dan Kimosho to answer the concerns of digitizing number plates in the country which is estimated to come with the high cost of up to 700,000Shs, Otafiire informed the committee that he just hears about the company in the media but is not aware about its operations, whereabouts and capability.

He says the first time he heard about the company was when the a businessman Gordon Wavamuno wrote to his office complaining of the shutdown of his company that produces number plates and later wrote to President Yoweri Museveni expressing concern over shutting local companies in favor of foreign firms instead of supporting them, which hasn’t been replied to.

Otafiire also confirmed to the committee that he once received a report from a team of Uganda Police ICT department who went to Russia for a fact finding mission and found out that the said company wasn’t dealing in digital number plate production in that country.

He further says that the claimed technology wasn’t also used in Russia or any other part of the world and that the said company dealing in such number plates was in Poland.

Otafiire also informed the committee that he directed the Police ICT department to disengage any operations with Joint Stock Company Global Security after learning that they were planning to integrate their operations with Huawei Company which provided the technology used on police CCTVs without legal permission which would attract legal concerns.

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