KAMPALA: City Lawyer Hassan Male Mabirizi has sued the government of Uganda to court over its deal to install tracking devices on all public and private vehicles and motorcycles in the country.
On Friday, government signed a 10-year agreement with Joint Stock Company Global Security, a Russian company to implement the Cabinet decision of installing digital trackers in all vehicles, motorcycles, and boats through the intelligent transport monitoring system to booster the security of the country according to government.
Now Lawyer Mabirizi has on Monda petitioned the civil division of the High Court saying that the entire process is illegal and an invasion of privacy of Ugandans.
“I know that cabinet acted outside its mandate to tamper with Ugandans’ right to privacy without an Act of Parliament from which we can be able to ascertain whether the limitations are demonstrably justifiable in a free and democratic society,” he said.
Mabirizi argues that it is illegal and improper for cabinet to select a service provider for the project of installing digital tracking devices in all vehicles and motorcycles without going through the required procurement processes as laid down under Ugandan laws.
He now wants court to intervene and reverse the cabinet decision regarding the installation of digital tracking devices in vehicles and motorcycles in Uganda.
“The applicant is seeking for a declaration that the cabinet decision that effective July 2021, every motor vehicle and motorcycle shall be fitted with tracking devices at the owners’ cost,” the court documents says.
“This court should issue a permanent injunction restraining any Uganda government official from implementing or acting on the strengths of the Cabinet decision that effective July 2021, every motor vehicle and motorcycle shall be fitted with tracking devices at the owners’ cost.”
He said that he is filing the case as a civically active Ugandan who has been closely following the constitutional, human rights and rule of law trends in Uganda.
