Renewal of driving permits resumes on August 15

The government is set to resume renewal of driving permits on August 15, the ministry of works and transport has announced.

The ministry's permanent secretary, Bageya Waiswa confirmed the resumption of the service in a notice published in the New Vision on Tuesday.

"The ministry of works and transport, in partnership with face technologies Pty Ltd and Uganda Police Force (inspectorate of vehicles), is now pleased to inform the general public that renewal of lapsed permits will commence on 15th August 2020, in accordance with the above-captioned section of the law," the notice reads.

According to Waiswa, drivers with expired permits are required to visit the ministry's website or offices for information about the procedures to follow.

Section 42 (4) of the Traffic and Road Safety Act (2020) states that a person whose driving licence (driving permit) has for any reason not been renewed within a period of two years from the date of expiry shall, on the application for renewal, undergo theory and practical tests before the licence (permit) can be renewed and he or she is allowed to retain the group of motor vehicles endorses in his or her driving licence.

In April, works minister, Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala, ordered a temporary closure of offices at Face Technologies in Kyambogo to tame the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

When the offices reopened last month, hundreds of people seeking to acquire driving permits or renew the expired ones thronged the offices, raising concern about the potential spread of infection.

Last month, the works and transport ministry suspended the issuing of new driving permits to reduce crowds at the offices as authorities sought to reign in on a spike in infections.