Owners of vintage cars have petitioned Parliament to be allowed to keep the old registrations of their cars as a historical symbol and a qualification of heritage that their cars represent.
James Ayo, the President of the Uganda Vintage Car Club, said that many of them have been forced to re-register their cars to the current registration and number plate series when changing ownership or acquiring car insurance.
“We have deterred them from fully preserving their cars to their original state and in the entirety of their historical appeal,” he said.
The car owners made this appeal on Tuesday, May 17, 2022, during the flag-off event of the mobile museum that included the vintage cars as part of the events to commemorate International Museum Day.
The cars, which were paraded together with other vintage collections, were viewed by MPs and members of the public before proceeding to the National Museum in Kampala for the rest of the celebrations.
The Deputy Speaker said, “it is important to collect and preserve items that remind us of our history and where we came from”.
“I have been motivated to look up and properly preserve my old personal items and property so that I have something to look back to,” he added.
Tayebwa called the rigidity of the authorities responsible for car registration ‘unnecessary’ because the cars were important historical items to their owners and the public at large.
The Deputy Speaker promised to consult the Commissioner in the Ministry of Works and Transport charged with car registration to see that the practice is reversed and the cars re-issued with their original number plates.
He asked the responsible department in charge of the Parliament Museum to leverage the celebrations of the day and propel its popularity among the public.
The Clerk to Parliament represented by the Deputy Clerk, Henry Waiswa, said that the Museum of Parliament was established to preserve the democratic history and the heritage of Uganda dating back to the pre-colonial era.
He said that upon getting more space and funding, the museum will be revitalized, expanded and properly stocked with a target of attracting the public.
The Bank of Uganda Money Museum, the URA Museum and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities joined in the celebrations.