Voter Register Update Issues Referred to Legal Affairs Committee for Further Scrutiny

Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa, has referred a statement on the ongoing update of the national voter’s register to the Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs for further scrutiny.

This decision came after lawmakers raised concerns and highlighted several flaws in the statement delivered by Deputy Attorney General, Hon. Jackson Kafuuzi, during a parliamentary sitting on Tuesday, 28 January 2025.

The national voter’s register update, which began on 20 January 2025 ahead of the 2026 general elections, has been plagued with technical issues and challenges, including the malfunctioning of some registration machines.

These concerns prompted Tayebwa to direct the Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs to engage with key stakeholders, including the Electoral Commission (EC), Uganda Bureau of Standards (UBOS), and the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA). Tayebwa has asked the committee to report back to the House by Tuesday, 4 February 2025.

“We need a detailed report from the committee so that we can make clear recommendations and discuss them in the House, which will lead to better resolutions,” Tayebwa said.

In his statement to Parliament, Kafuuzi explained that the voter registration exercise had encountered some setbacks due to technical difficulties with the equipment being used. The machines in question were originally procured for the 2014/2015 mass enrollment under the National Security Information System Project, the predecessor of NIRA. These machines, according to Kafuuzi, have experienced breakdowns, which he attributed to their age and previous use.

The Deputy Attorney General also highlighted that while the EC requires 5,000 registration kits to conduct the exercise efficiently, only 2,703 kits are currently available.

These kits, provided by NIRA, have been distributed according to sub-county needs, with Kampala Capital City, Wakiso, and Mukono districts receiving additional kits per parish due to higher population densities.

Despite the challenges, Kafuuzi expressed confidence that the exercise would achieve its objectives within the set timeframe. The update of the voter’s register is scheduled to conclude on 10 February 2025.

He emphasized that the Electoral Commission was fully aware of the challenges and had put in place mechanisms to address the issues.

“The Electoral Commission is confident that, with the heightened awareness and the measures put in place, the process will allow Ugandans to register and update their details successfully,” Kafuuzi said.

However, the statement was met with skepticism from several lawmakers, particularly the Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Joel Ssenyonyi, who questioned the accuracy of the statement. Ssenyonyi pointed out that the voter registration exercise had not commenced in several areas, contradicting the Deputy Attorney General’s claims.

He called for an extension of the deadline for the voter register update, arguing that the exercise had been marred by glitches that hindered its effectiveness.

“The government should acknowledge that more time is needed to ensure this process is free and fair. We cannot afford to rush it,” Ssenyonyi said.

Further criticism of the Electoral Commission’s challenges came from Hon. Stephen Baka, the Member of Parliament for Bukooli County North. Baka attributed the difficulties to budgetary shortfalls, explaining that the EC was struggling to operate within the limited resources allocated to it. He stated that the Commission required Shs 450 billion to effectively manage both phases two and three of the general elections.

“The EC is working under difficult conditions, and we, as Parliament, have an obligation to ensure that the Electoral Commission is adequately funded to handle its mandate,” Baka emphasized.