As Uganda heads into the next phase of voting this Thursday, the Electoral Commission (EC) has moved to clarify public concerns around the performance of the Biometric Voter Verification Kits (BVVKs), stating that the machines worked successfully wherever they were deployed correctly.
According to the information gotten by Nile Post from sources that prefer to stay anonymous, BVVKs were operational in 16 districts, where they verified voters smoothly and securely, with no technical failures recorded.
“The BVVK machines worked. Where they were used, they verified voters successfully. Challenges experienced were not technical failures, but administrative and logistical gaps,” a source confirmed.
Demonstrated to Parties, Media and Observers Before Voting Day
In an effort to build confidence and transparency ahead of voting, the EC successfully demonstrated operational BVVK machines multiple times to political parties, members of the media, and election observers, a move meant to assure stakeholders that the technology was functional, secure, and ready for use.
The demonstrations showcased the kits’ ability to authenticate voters using biometric data and confirmed that the machines were capable of supporting a smooth verification process when operators, access credentials, and logistical deployment were properly coordinated.
What Caused the Gaps?
The gaps experienced in some areashave been attributed to administrative and logistical challenges, rather than machine failure.
These included:
• Delayed deployment of operators
• Late delivery of access codes required to activate the kits.
Where these issues occurred, the Commission said polling officials relied on manual voter registers as a contingency measure to ensure that eligible voters were not turned away.
Manual Registers Were a Backup, Not a Breakdown
The Commission emphasised that manual registers were only used in situations where operators or access codes were unavailable in time, and not because the kits were defective.
In districts where the machines were fully supported with trained operators and proper activation credentials, biometric verification reportedly proceeded as designed, verifying voters efficiently and reinforcing the credibility of the process.
Same Machines to Be Used Again This Thursday
The EC has confirmed that the same BVVK machines will be used again this Thursday, noting that the kits are not a one-off procurement but a long-term national investment.
The Commission says the BVVKs are designed to serve Uganda’s elections for some time, making them a critical asset for future electoral cycles.
Rebuilding Public Trust Through Facts
With misinformation and speculation spreading rapidly on social media, the Commission says it is prioritising factual clarity and public reassurance through coordinated media engagement and stakeholder communication.
The message, officials insist, remains clear: the BVVK technology is reliable, and where challenges occurred, they were due to logistical gaps that are being addressed ahead of Thursday’s vote.
Bottom line: BVVKs worked where deployed correctly and Uganda’s electoral process is expected to benefit even more as administrative coordination improves.
City Billionaire and philanthropist Dr Keddi Eric Stephen Zuluba, a former Presidential aspirant hopeful has joined the list of frustrated Ugandans who have faulted The Electoral Commission (EC) for locking them out of the just concluded Presidential nominations, citing fraud in the scheme and vowed to sue the electoral body and EC chief Justice Simon Byabakama over the same.
Dr Keddi who is the party president for he’s recently formulated Uganda Patriotic Movement (UPM) party was speaking to the Media in a Press briefing held outside the Electoral commission (EC) offices in Kampala yesterday, shortly after the closure of the presidential nominations for candidates intending to stand for President in the next general elections 2026-2031.
Hon. Steven Keddi has threatened to sue EC over what he called Presidential Subbotage
According to Keddi the EC acted fraudulently by closing them out of the race deliberately faulting them for failure to raise the required 98% equivalent signatures from the various districts in Uganda whilst not.He said by the peak of Monday evening they had already raised 93% of the district required signatures,and were only left with 5 more districts as per the EC requirements.
He said as of yesterday (Tuesday) morning,they had also managed to raise another 24 more district signatures even by-passing the EC required No and also carried the signatories to the EC offices in person hence fulfilling all the EC requirements all through to the the period of closure of nominations.
“We are deeply frustrated by the move by the Electoral commission for deliberately locking us out of the Presidential race due to lack of signatures yet we fulfilled all their requirements in time, Dr Keddi cried out to members of the Press and public.
“This whole process was flawed and up to now we are still wondering what sort of excuse the Electoral Boss Simon Byabakama is going to come up with to have our party Uganda Patriotic Movement (UPM) not represented in the race.This is not only a loss for us as UPM but also a total loss for Ugandans who believe in Democracy and who were waiting for their next President in the form of Dr Keddi Steven Eric Zuluba”,Keddi noted boldly.
Asked what he’s next chapter would be, and he said they were contemplating suing the commission separately. However, he said, “Together with all the other affected parties, they would seek a way forward.”
“We are going to engage our lawyers on this very crucial matter and chapter in our political party direction,we are going to take on them with the full force of the law and trust me it will be a roller coaster ride”,the Philanthropist vowed.
Who is Dr Keddi Steven Eric Zuluba?
Dr Keddi Steven Eric Zuluba is a billionaire Philanthropist, the founder of Keddi Foundation, a local Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) dedicated to helping humanity and the less privileged society members.
The organisation which he founded in 2019 has been hugely engaged in various humanitarian projects and causes across the country among which include providing support to bududa landslide victims,sponsoring heart related transplants,aid to schools inform of building classroom blocks for rural schools affected by heavy rains,roofing and providing scholastic materials to pupils,and many forms of humanitarian aid since it’s inception.
Dr Keddi was also a parliamentary aspirant in the previous elections where he stood for MP and lost in the Butebo District Constituency.
He is also a big businessman with interests in gold and cargo transportation, freight handling, and also man of God/pastor.
The Electoral Commission Chairperson Justice Byabakama Mugenyi Simon has given an update on the ongoing National Voters Register. This was yesterday at the commission’s office in Kampala.
The Electoral Commission commenced the exercise of the General Update of the National Voters Register on Monday 20th January 2025. This is done in compliance with Article 61 (1)(e) of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, and Section 20 of the Electoral Commission Act (Cap 176).
The Chairperson emphasised that the purpose of this general update exercise is to enable eligible Ugandan citizens of 18 years and above, who are not yet registered as voters, to do so. The person intending to register as a voter is required to turn up in person at an update centre in his/her parish of residence or origin, to provide his/her details, have their photograph taken, and the signature and fingerprints captured.
Justice Byabakama Mugenyi Simon
The exercise is also meant to enable registered voters who wish to transfer to new voting locations, to apply for such transfer. A voter who wishes to transfer to a new voting location must present confirmation that he/she originates from or is, at the time of application for transfer, a resident of the Parish of that (new) voting location. Such applicants are required to present details of their previous voting location. A person who wishes to apply for transfer of his or her voting location is free to present himself/herself at any of the update centres.
During this exercise, registered voters are able to check and confirm that their particulars are correct and that they appear on the Voters Register at the voting locations that they indicated during registration. The exercise will further enable registered voters to confirm the accuracy of their particulars on the Voters Register and correct any error(s) that may be identified in their details on the Register. To facilitate this confirmation, the Commission is availing the Register of each polling station at each update station within the respective Parish/Ward.
At the same time, registered voters can also verify their voting details from the Electoral Commission website: https://ec.or.ug/register.
For clarity, registered voters may only make necessary corrections regarding spelling mistakes, gender, and a mismatch of the photograph, as the case may be. Such voters will not be able to make changes to their age/date of birth or include (new) additional names.
Finally, this exercise will enable students who were registered by the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) at school during the learners project, and have since attained the age of 18 years to present their particulars, that is, the National Identification Number (NIN), for updating and assignment of a polling station within their parish of residence or origin.
The General Update of the National Voters Register is being conducted at update stations throughout Uganda every day, from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, including weekends.
During this exercise, the Commission is compiling and updating the Voters Registers for Special Interest Groups, namely:
The National Youths Voters Register for election of Youth Councils and Committees;
The National PWDs Voters Register for the election of PWD Councils and Committees;
The National Older Persons Voters Register for election of Older Persons Councils and Committees.
“I wish to inform Ugandans that the cut- off date for this exercise is 10th February 2025. The Commission would like to appeal to eligible citizens to use this opportunity to register as to exercise their fundamental right, enshrined in Article 59 of the Constitution to vote and elect their leaders. As we have always emphasized, the only way a citizen can vote, contest an elective position, support the nomination of a candidate, become an agent of a candidate, or bring a petition on any election-related matter, is first and foremost to be a registered voter appearing on the National Voters Register. This explains the importance of the update exercise,” the Chairperson said.
Management of emerging issues
The Commission is cognizant of the challenges that have been identified in these first days of the exercise, which include the following:
Adequacy and functionality of the registration kits
Concerning the adequacy of kits allocated for the exercise, the Commission is conducting the exercise using kits provided by the National Identification and Registration Authorities (NIRA). The total number of kits deployed for this exercise is 2,703 kits. Our need was 5,000 kits. The distribution has been made based on the sub counties, except for Kampala Capital, Wakiso, and Mukono districts, which have been allocated additional kits per ward/parish.
The update officials and supervisors are providing a schedule on the rotation and movement of the kits, and informing the people of when and where the kit will be on a particular day to ensure coverage of the target population. The update teams are supported by technical teams (trouble-shooters) that respond to machine issues, e.g. malfunctions, as and when they arise.
Some technical problems (faulty machines) have been reported in some stations. The equipment being used was first procured for the 2014/2015 mass enrolment (registration) exercise, under the National Security Information System (NSIS) Project, the predecessor of NIRA. This explains the reported cases of breakdowns. Our teams are on standby to respond to any reported malfunction.
The Commission has established a system for receiving and handling complaints arising out of the exercise. This includes establishment of a Query/Complaints Desk at the Electoral Commission Headquarters, that receives and responds to complaints and emerging issues.
The role of security agencies during the registration exercise
There has been concern about the requirement for a recommendation from the Gombolola Internal Security Officer (GISO) and the District Internal Security Officer (DISO) to facilitate the application for registration. We wish to guide that this applies to first-time applicants, and is based on the need to verify citizenship. Please note that only verified citizens qualify to be on the Voters Register and the agency responsible for ascertaining citizenship is NIRA.
The Electoral Commission has engaged the leadership of Uganda Police and the sister security agencies to facilitate the new applicants with such letters to complete their applications.
Concerning the turnout for the exercise
There has been concern about the number of persons turning out for the update exercise, which has been described as low. The statistics we are receiving indicate that the exercise is on course as per the objectives and the target applicants.
The Commission wishes to inform the country that this is not a mass registration of all eligible voters, as the majority of Ugandan voting population is already on the Register.
It is also important to note that a considerable number of voters have been checking and confirming their particulars using our online portal (www.ec.or.ug/register), hence there is no need to have long queues at update centres.
The Commission is confident that with the mechanisms put in place to address them, and with the heightened awareness created by our teams that are based at the parish level who are mobilising the communities on the operational plans, regarding venues and time and requirements for completing the exercise, we will be able to complete this exercise successfully in the time allocated.
Preparations for Parliamentary and Local Government Council By-elections in Kawempe Division North
The Commission, on 15th January, 2025, received notification from the Clerk to Parliament about the vacancy for the Directly Elected Member of Parliament for Kawempe Division North, following the death of Hon. Ssegirinya Muhammad on 9th January 2025.
As provided under the Law, the Commission will conduct a by-election in Kawempe Division North for the Member of Parliament, and will also use the occasion to conduct a by-election for the Directly Elected Councillor for Kazo-Angola Ward, Kawempe Division.
The Commission has already approved the program which will be shared with all stakeholders on 27th January 2025. The media will be invited to this stakeholders meeting.
The Commission would like to thank all stakeholders political parties, civil society groups, the media, religious leaders, cultural leaders, LC 1 Chairpersons and all opinion leaders at all levels for the support they are providing to the General Update exercise. We call on them to continue with this support to enable the country compile a credible and clean National Voters Register.
The Electoral Commission is mandated under the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, 1995 (as amended) and the Electoral Commission Act, to take measures to ensure that the entire electoral process is as inclusive as possible, and conducted under conditions of freedom and fairness to, among others, enable Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) to vote without any hindrance.
However, the Commission has been facing challenges in ensuring their inclusive participation in elections due to the lack of adequate information on the number of PWDs; their locations; the types of disabilities; the literacy levels, and the types of sign languages in use, among others.
Accordingly, in preparation for the 2025/2026 General Elections, the Electoral Commission has appointed Monday 4th November 2024 until Wednesday 13th November 2024 as the period for conducting the nationwide identification and mapping of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) on the National Voters Register (NVR).
Categories of PWDs
During the exercise, the Commission will compile the lists of PWDs identified by the Village Local Councils (LC1) under the disability categories below:
Physical disability caused by cerebral palsy, amputation of a limb, paralysis or deformity;
Hearing disability including deafness and hard of hearing disability;
Visual disability including blindness and low vision disability;
Deaf and blind disability;
Mental disability, including psychiatric disability;
Little people;
Albinism; and,
Multiple disability
C. Purpose of conducting the identification and mapping exercise
The purpose of the mapping and verification exercise, therefore, will be to:
Identify PWDs, nature of disability, literacy level, and whether they are registered voters;
Allow Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) who may have applied for registration with the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) and desire to vote, to ascertain whether their names have been included in the National Voters Register;
Provide an opportunity for scrutiny of the PWD Voters roll in each village/cell to identify particulars of persons who may be ineligible (with no recognized form of disability) from appearing on the Register, the dead, and those persons who might have left the area, among other reasons;
Raise awareness and encourage participation of PWDs in cleaning of the PWD voters Register at village level in preparation for the General Update of the National Voters Register;
Identify all PWDs in their respective villages for purposes of compiling the PWDs’ Registers in preparation for the General Update of the National Voters Register; and,
Identify peculiar issues that hinder the full participation of PWDs in electoral activities.
EC boss Justice Byabakama
The procedure for identification, verification, and mapping exercise
The village-level identification of PWDs exercise shall be carried out by the Electoral Commission (EC) Parish Supervisor (Verification Officer), who shall work with the respective Local Council 1 (LC 1) Chairperson to convene meetings at village level within the Parish/Ward.
The EC Parish/Ward Supervisor shall guide the identification and verification of PWDs on the Voters Register during the Village Council meeting, which shall be chaired by the respective Local Council I (LCI) Chairperson.
The Parish/Ward Supervisor will conduct a roll-call of the members on the PWDs Village Voters Register provided by the Commission, before all present, for identification, verification, and confirmation.
The Supervisor will further identify and capture particulars of PWD voters missing on the Register and note for deletion all ineligible voters on the PWD Register.
During the meeting, any complaints arising from the inclusion of particulars on the PWD Voters Register shall be received and documented for action by the Commission.
Important: Where a person is identified as a PWD but is not registered on the National Voters Register, he/she shall be guided to first register as a citizen of Uganda during the ongoing registration by NIRA, so as to qualify for registration as a voter.
Outputs of the identification, verification, and mapping exercise
The above exercise is expected to result in the following:
Identification and verification of PWD voters in every village/cell across the country;
Avail the Commission with a credible PWD Register thus facilitating the participation of PWDs in the elections as required by the law;
Enable the Commission to possess disaggregated data on disability per category per village/parish which is essential in planning for electoral activities;
Enable the Commission to develop inclusive voter education materials in a more accessible format for different categories of disability; and,
Enable the Commission to ensure that polling stations are located at convenient sites for persons with a physical disability.
Conclusion
Identifying PWDs right from the village level is important for compiling registers needed for elections involving members of the Special Interest Groups (SIGs).
The Commission, therefore, urges all stakeholders to take note of the period for the exercise and to participate in the identification, verification, and mapping of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) to polling stations following the guidelines issued for the exercise.
This was confirmed by Justice Byabakama Mugenyi Simon, the Chairperson, Electoral Commission.
Bogota, Colombia: The Electoral Commission of Uganda (EC) has been elected to the Executive Board of the Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB), a forum that brings together election management bodies across the world.
The election took place during the 6th General Assembly of A-WEB in Bogota, Colombia, South America, on Wednesday,23rd October 2024.
The EC was nominated to the Board, alongside the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) of Kenya, by members from Africa region, to fill two vacant positions to represent the continent. They were subsequently confirmed by all members at the General Assembly, and will serve for two years, renewable once.
The two join three other Electoral management bodies of Libya, Sierra Leone and Mauritius, as representatives of Africa on the Board.
The Executive Board leads and provides oversight to the association’s activities of advancing democratic, free, fair, transparent and credible elections worldwide.
Speaking while accepting Uganda’s election, Commissioner Peter James Emorut, who represented the EC at the General Assembly, thanked members for the confidence they have vested in the Commission and Uganda, and pledged that the EC will make a positive contribution in advancing the mission and vision of the association during its tenure.
Headquartered in South Korea, A-WEB is the world’s largest international organization in the field of election management.
It currently comprises 121 Election Management Bodies (EMBs) from 111 countries. Since its establishment in 2013, A-WEB has pursued its mission and vision of fostering effective as efficient conduct of free, fair, transparent and participative elections worldwide.
The Electoral Commission has released the programme for the by-elections of the District Woman Representative to Parliament for Dokolo District and Councillors on various Local Government Councils in the district where vacancies exist.
The by–election programme will commence with an update of the National Voters’ Register from Monday 12th to Thursday 15th February, 2024 at update stations in each of the seventy-one (71) parishes/wards in Dokolo District.
The Commission has appointed Thursday 15th February 2024 as the cut-off date for applying for registration as a voter and for transfer of voting location in the District. The registration and transfer of voters from one polling station to another within Dokolo District will not take place after Thursday 15th February 2024.
The display of the Voters’ Register will be conducted for a period of ten (10) days, that is, from Wednesday 21st February to Friday 1st March 2024, at all the one hundred and seventy-three (173) polling stations in Dokolo District.
The Display of Parish Tribunal Recommendations for deletion from/or inclusion on the Register will be conducted for six (6) days, that is, from Friday 1st March to Wednesday 6th March 2024 at the respective Parish/Ward Headquarters.
The nomination of candidates will be conducted on Monday 11th and Tuesday 12th March, 2024 at the Office of the District Returning Officer, Dokolo and the successfully nominated candidates will conduct campaign meetings for seven (7) days, that is, from Wednesday 13th till Tuesday 19th March, 2024.
Polling and tallying of results for by-election of councilors representing Special Interest Groups will take place on Monday, 18th March, 2024, while the polling day for the District Woman Representative to Parliament and other Local Government Councillors will be conducted on Thursday, 21st March, 2024.
The District Woman Representative seat for Dokolo became vacant following the death of the former Representative (MP), the Hon. Cecilia Barbara Atim Ogwal, which occurred on 18th January 2024.
The Electoral Commission has released the programme for conducting the by-election of Member of Parliament for Serere County Constituency, Serere District.
The by–election programme will commence with an update of the National Voters’ Register from Friday 6th to Tuesday 10th January, 2023 at update stations in each of the thirty-eight (38) parishes and wards in Serere County.
The Commission has appointed Tuesday 10th January 2023 as the cut-off date for applying for registration as a voter and for transfer of voting location in the County. The registration and transfer of voters from one polling station to another within Serere County will not take place after Tuesday 10th January 2023.
The display of the Voters’ Register will be conducted for a period of ten (10) days, that is, from Monday 23rd January to Wednesday 1st February 2023, at all the one hundred thirty-eight (138) polling stations in Serere County.
The Display of Parish Tribunal Recommendations for deletion from/or inclusion on the Register will be conducted for six (6) days, that is, from Wednesday 1st to Monday 6th 2023 at the respective Parish/Ward Headquarters.
The nomination of candidates will be conducted on Thursday 9th and Friday 10th February, 2023 at the Office of the District Returning Officer, Serere.
Nominated candidates will conduct campaign meetings for nine (9) days, that is, from Monday 13th till `Tuesday 21st February, 2023.
Polling and tallying of results for by-election of Member of Parliament will be conducted on Thursday 23rd February, 2023.
The Parliamentary seat for Serere County fell vacant following the death of the former Member of Parliament, the Late Hon. Okabe Patrick, in a motor accident on 19th December 2022.
On 18th February 2022, the Electoral Commission issued a Roadmap detailing the various activities to be conducted under the programme for elections of Women Councils and Committees from the Village to the National Level.
To-date the Electoral Commission has finalised the compilation of the Village Women Residents’ Register and is currently conducting the Display of the said Registers at each Village/Cell across the country in preparation for subsequent activities, namely, nomination of candidates and polling at the Village level.
However, the Ministry of Finance has informed the Commission that the funds required for conducting the subsequent activities under the electoral Roadmap are not yet available.
Accordingly, the Commission informs the general public, Political Party leaders and women in particular, that the remaining programme for the elections of Village Women Councils and Committees, shall not be implemented as earlier scheduled.
Consequently, all the remaining activities under the approved programme for conduct of the Women Councils and Committees Elections, starting with the nominations of candidates, which were earlier scheduled for Monday 27th June – 1st July 2022, have been suspended.
The Commission will issue a new programme for the above electoral activities when the required additional funds are availed.
The Commission appeals to Political Parties and Organisations, aspiring candidates and their supporters, and all other stakeholders in these elections, to remain calm as the matter of the additional funding requirements is being handled by the relevant organs of Government.
Justice Byabakama Mugenyi Simon
Chairperson, Electoral Commission confirmed the developments.
The Electoral Commission has released the programme for conducting the by-election of Member of Parliament for Bukimbiri County Constituency, Kisoro District.
The by–election programme will commence with an update of the National Voters’ Register from Monday 20th to Friday 24th June, 2022 at update stations in each of the twenty-four (24) parishes in Bukimbiri County.
The Commission has appointed Friday 24th June 2022 as the cut-off date for applying for registration as a voter and for transfer of voting location in the County.
The registration and transfer of voters from one polling station to another within Bukimbiri County will not take place after Friday 24th June 2022.
The display of the Voters’ Register will be conducted for a period of ten (10) days, that is, from Tuesday 12th July to Thursday 21st July 2022, at all the seventy-two (72) polling stations in Bukimbiri County.
The Display of Parish Tribunal Recommendations for deletion from/or inclusion on the Register will be conducted for six (6) days, that is, from Friday 22nd July to Wednesday 27th 2022 at the respective Parish Headquarters.
The nomination of candidates will be conducted on Monday 1st and Tuesday 2nd August, 2022 at the Office of the District Returning Officer, Kisoro.
Nominated candidates will conduct campaign meetings for seven (7) days, that is, from Wednesday 3rd August till Tuesday 9th August, 2022.
Polling and tallying of results for by-election of Member of Parliament will be conducted on Thursday 11th August, 2022.
The Parliamentary seat for Bukimbiri County fell vacant following a court ruling which set aside the results of the 2021 Elections.
The Electoral Commission (EC) Uganda has retained all candidates contesting in the Omoro County Constituency By elections in Omoro District to replace late Speaker and MP Rt Hon. Jacob Oulanyah.
In exercise of its powers as provided for under Article 61(1)(f) of the Constitution and Section 15 of the Electoral Commission Act CAP 140, the Electoral Commission has finalised hearing of complaints that were raised in respect of ineligibility of candidates Tolit Simon (NUP); Odong Justine (FDC); Kizza Oscar (ANT); Onen Jimmy Walter (IND); Odonga Terence (IND) and Andrew Ojok Oulanyah (NRM) to contest for Member of Parliament, Omoro County Constituency, Omoro District.
The Commission has found that the above candidates complied with the requirements for nomination, and has accordingly upheld the decision of the Returning Officer to nominate them.
They remain candidates in the by-election whose polling will take place on 26th May 2022.
