Traffic offences and the Express Penalty Scheme in Uganda
In brief
The Express Penalty Scheme (EPS) lets a driver settle a minor traffic offence by paying a fixed penalty instead of going to court. It operates under the Traffic and Road Safety Act, Cap. 361 and the Traffic and Road Safety (Express Penalty Scheme for Road Traffic Offenders) Regulations, 2024: a traffic officer issues an express penalty notice for a minor offence listed in the schedule, and the offender pays the prescribed penalty within the time stated. Paying the express penalty is not a conviction; failing to pay can lead to prosecution in court. The penalty amounts are set in currency points — confirm the current figures.
1. Governing law
The Express Penalty Scheme is provided for under the Traffic and Road Safety Act, Cap. 361 and detailed in the Traffic and Road Safety (Express Penalty Scheme for Road Traffic Offenders) Regulations, 2024. The Regulations establish the scheme, prescribe the form of the express penalty notice, and set out in a schedule the minor traffic offences to which the scheme applies. A traffic or police officer who has reason to believe a person has committed a scheduled minor offence may issue an express penalty notice requiring payment of the prescribed penalty within the stated time; payment disposes of the matter without a court conviction, while non-payment exposes the offender to prosecution for the offence in the ordinary way. Penalties are expressed in currency points (one currency point is UGX 20,000), and the schedule and amounts are revised from time to time, so the exact figure for a given offence should be confirmed against the current Regulations. The EPS covers minor/road-discipline offences; serious offences (for example causing death by reckless driving) are not express-penalty matters and go to court. Statutory text verified against the consolidated Laws of Uganda as at 31 December 2023. Sourced from the Uganda Legal Information Institute (ulii.org).
2. Key statutes & rules
- Traffic and Road Safety Act, Cap. 361 — framework for road traffic offences and penalties.
- Traffic and Road Safety (Express Penalty Scheme for Road Traffic Offenders) Regulations, 2024 — establish the express penalty scheme; the form of the express penalty notice; the schedule of minor traffic offences; penalties expressed in currency points (one currency point = UGX 20,000) — confirm the current figures.
3. Practical guidance
Check whether the offence is a scheduled minor offence under the EPS Regulations, 2024 — only those qualify for an express penalty.
Read the express penalty notice: it states the offence, the penalty and the time to pay.
Pay the prescribed penalty within the time stated to dispose of the matter without a court conviction.
Confirm the current penalty figure (set in currency points; one point is UGX 20,000) — the schedule is revised.
If you dispute the offence, you can decline to pay and have the matter taken to court — but be ready to defend it, as non-payment leads to prosecution.
This note is a practitioner orientation, not legal advice, and does not create an advocate–client relationship. Ugandan law changes and chapter and section numbers were revised in the 2023 Laws of Uganda. Verify every statute, rule and authority against the current primary source — and the specific facts of your matter — before filing or relying on it.