By Mulengera Reporters
With Uganda heading into the January 15, 2026 general elections, the Electoral Commission of Uganda has intensified efforts to assure voters that the newly upgraded Biometric Voter Verification Kit (BVVK) system is ready to deliver a smooth, transparent and credible electoral process.
The Commission recently conducted a public mock demonstration of the technology at its headquarters in Kampala, showcasing how the biometric system will work at polling stations across the country during the presidential and parliamentary elections.
The demonstration formed part of the Commission’s broader voter education campaign aimed at helping Ugandans understand how the digital system will strengthen election integrity, eliminate fraud and protect the “one person, one vote” principle.
Speaking during the exercise, the EC Deputy Chairperson, Aisha Lubega, said the technology is designed to ensure that only registered voters participate in the election and that no individual votes more than once.
“The system will ensure that only registered voters vote during elections and that such persons do not vote more than once for the same election,” she explained.
The biometric system is expected to become one of the most important innovations in Uganda’s electoral process, with the EC preparing to deploy 109,142 biometric machines across 50,739 polling stations nationwide.
According to the Commission, the machines are capable of verifying each voter and ballot paper within 30 to 60 seconds, making the process both fast and efficient despite Uganda’s large voter population of more than 21.6 million people.
The EC spokesperson, Julius Mucunguzi, said the upgraded technology has several security features that will significantly reduce the possibility of election malpractice.
Among the major improvements is the machine’s ability to verify not only fingerprints but also facial recognition and iris scans, helping voters whose fingerprints may be difficult to read.
The system will also verify ballot papers through QR code scanning to ensure that only genuine ballot papers assigned to a specific polling station are used during voting.
Mucunguzi said this feature will eliminate the possibility of fake or imported ballot papers entering the voting process.
“The machines verify both the voter and the ballot papers used during the voting process,” he said.
During the demonstration, EC Director of Technical Services Solomon Muhumuza explained that every polling station will receive two biometric machines along with power banks to guarantee uninterrupted operations throughout voting day.
Each machine, officials said, can operate for more than 16 hours on battery power, yet voting is scheduled to last for only 10 hours.
Muhumuza also reassured voters that the BVVK machines do not require internet connectivity during voting, addressing concerns that network interruptions could affect the exercise.
“These do not need internet to work,” he said.
On polling day, the process will begin with assigning biometric machines to their designated polling stations by scanning QR codes on the voters’ register.
The BVVK operators and presiding officers will first verify themselves using National IDs, voter location slips and biometric identification before the machines become operational.
The ballot paper booklets for presidential, parliamentary and district woman MP elections will then be scanned to confirm that they belong to the correct polling station.
Ten witnesses required by law to observe the opening of the polling station will also undergo verification before voting officially begins.
Ordinary voters will thereafter present their National IDs, voter location slips or QR codes from the voters’ register for verification.
Once the system confirms their identity with an automated “success” response, they will be issued ballot papers to cast their votes.
After voting closes, the biometric system will once again scan all ballot papers during counting to detect any unauthorized or foreign ballots that may have been introduced into the ballot boxes.
The Commission says this end-to-end verification process strengthens transparency and accountability throughout the election cycle.
To further prepare for the exercise, the EC has embarked on extensive training programmes for BVVK operators and election officials.
Training sessions have included practical demonstrations to ensure polling staff are fully equipped to manage the technology effectively on election day.
The Commission has also continued encouraging voters to confirm their polling stations in advance since the machines will reject attempts to vote at undesignated polling stations.
EC officials say lessons learned from previous elections have been incorporated into improving the current biometric system, making it more reliable, secure and user-friendly.
With the January 15 polls approaching, the Electoral Commission remains confident that the BVVK technology will enhance public trust in the electoral process and contribute to peaceful, credible and transparent elections across the country. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
