KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda’s 2026 general election was thrown into early turmoil after biometric voter verification machines malfunctioned at multiple polling stations, forcing electoral officials to suspend the technology and revert to manual voting, a disruption that delayed voting for hours in several parts of the country.
The Electoral Commission (EC) issued an emergency directive allowing polling to proceed using the national voters register where the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits failed.
“The commission hereby directs all returning officers that where a BVR or kit fails to start or to function, the voting process should commence immediately using the national voters register in accordance with the electoral laws and guidelines so as not to disenfranchise any voter.”
EC officials said technical teams were dispatched nationwide to address the failures.
“In the meantime, the electoral commission’s technical teams are actively responding to and addressing the reported technical challenges wherever they can,” the poll agency chairman said.
Museveni orders investigation after machine rejects his fingerprint
The technical breakdown took on heightened political significance after President Yoweri Museveni’s own biometric verification failed at his polling station, initially rejecting his fingerprint before he was eventually cleared to vote using facial recognition.
Speaking after casting his ballot, President Yoweri Museveni ordered investigations into the malfunction.
“I congratulate Ugandans for getting up early this morning because I was I was follow I was following by five six people were up. Now they had a problem of these voter verification machines. They are working because I voted by it as you saw. You were all there. First of all it did not accept my fingerprints because I think maybe when they took them they had a different angle if you don’t put them properly. But when they put my face you saw the machine recognised me,” he observed.
Mr. Museveni, Africa’s longest-serving leader, is seeking a seventh term in office after nearly four decades in power.
He also made sweeping claims about previous election results.
“If there is no cheating, I expect to win by 80%. That is why we have to stop ballot stuffing the other time it was they said 58% was much more than that has been all the time winning above 70% from 1996 if we don’t stop the distort the figure,” the NRM candidate said.
High-stakes election amid blackout and tight security
More than 21.7 million registered voters across 50,739 polling stations are participating in the election, choosing among six other presidential candidates for leadership over the next five years.
The vote is taking place against the backdrop of an internet shutdown, ordered by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), which said the blackout was necessary to prevent misinformation, electoral fraud and the incitement of violence, a move that has drawn criticism from civil society and international observers.
During the campaign, Museveni presented himself as the guarantor of stability and economic progress, while his chief challenger, National Unity Platform (NUP) leader Bobi Wine, appealed to Uganda’s large youth population with promises to tackle corruption and implement sweeping reforms.
In addition to the presidency, Ugandans are electing a new Parliament, with 353 constituency seats and 146 District Woman Representative seats, alongside hundreds of local government and council positions.
Polling stations are scheduled to close at 4:00 pm, though the Electoral Commission (EC) has confirmed that all voters in the queue by that time will be allowed to vote. Presidential results are expected within 48 hours of the close of polls.
