Digital Number plates can't be tracked, the tracker is a separate device in the vehicle, says Hon. Mpaka

An oversight visit to the police has found that vehicle tracking is done by a separate device installed in the vehicle, not by the number plate itself, according to Hon. Mpaka.

Speaking about the findings, Hon. Mpaka(Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Physical Infrastructure) said the team was at the police carrying out its oversight function. After analysing all the features of the number plate, he said, they can now state conclusively that the plate cannot be tracked.

He explained that two separate components are involved. During installation, a tracker is put into the vehicle. The number plate is a different item altogether. In his words, it is the tracker inserted in a person's vehicle that can be tracked, not the number plate.

The clarification comes amid public questions about what exactly the number plates can do and whether motorists are being tracked through them. Hon. Mpaka's remarks point to the tracking device, rather than the plate, as the part that carries tracking capability.