The Committee on Physical Infrastructure has directed the Auditor General Edward Akol to immediately conduct a preliminary audit of the Intelligent Transport Management System (ITMS) and present findings by Tuesday next week, amid questions about the system’s operations, ownership and financial arrangements.

The directive was given on Thursday, 15 October 2026 when Akol appeared before the committee to explain why his office had not audited the project involving a Russian company contracted to supply and install digital number plates for vehicle identification and tracking.

The committee is chaired by Hon. Mwine Mpaka (NRM, Mbarara South Division).

Akol attributed the delay partly to inadequate information, saying his office received the project agreement only on Tuesday, 13 October 2026.

“We did not have adequate information to do this audit,” Akol said.

He also acknowledged that earlier engagements with the Office of the President had not been documented.

Akol cited staffing constraints, noting that his office has 600 employees, with only 450 directly engaging with auditees in the field.

He said the latest communication from the Office of the President maintained that the project remained in its pilot phase, with no government funds appropriated or disbursed for implementation, which was reportedly being financed by the investor.

However, MPs questioned why the pilot phase should prevent scrutiny of the system’s design, installation, operations and financial arrangements.

Mpaka directed the audit team to begin work immediately and submit a preliminary written brief by the deadline, even if a comprehensive audit could not be completed the given period.

“If you are denied access, you put it in writing that our office has been denied A, B, C, D, and we capture it the way it is,” Mpaka said.

The committee undertook to provide the Auditor General with the project’s needs assessment and the agreement signed between the government and the company.

Dr Samuel Opio (NRM, Kole North) said the audit could examine user requirements, design specifications, installation and actual operations before full rollout.

Assistant Auditor General James Bantu however cautioned that the deadline was too short for a comprehensive audit because of the system’s technical complexity and the need to obtain information from accounting officers and allow them to respond.

The appearance followed the committee’s decision on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, to direct Auditor General’s office officials to record statements with Parliament Police’s Criminal Investigations Department over the failure to audit the project.