Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka has reassured Parliament that Uganda has adequate legal provisions to support the use of biometric voter verification in the January 2026 general elections, despite growing concerns over the delayed regulations.
Kiwanuka told lawmakers on Tuesday, 2 December 2025, that there is “sufficient legal infrastructure” for the Electoral Commission (EC) to deploy the biometric system, adding that the Commission remains the sole authority mandated to conduct elections.
He further dismissed anxiety created by President Yoweri Museveni’s recent campaign remarks suggesting that voting would not proceed at polling stations where biometric machines fail to function.
“I have not heard anything from the President but there is nothing to worry about. Section 12 of the Electoral Commissions Act empowers the EC to stop an election even on polling day,” the Attorney General said.
His assurances came after a heated debate triggered by the Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Joel Ssenyonyi, who reminded Parliament that the Minister of Justice had promised in April to table regulations governing biometric voting , a commitment yet to be honoured.
“We are left with only one month to elections and there are no regulations on the biometric system. What guidelines are you going to base the elections on?” Ssenyonyi asked.
He also sought clarity on the President’s public statement on mandatory biometric use, questioning what would happen in areas where network or machines fail.
MP Muhammad Nsereko (Kampala Central) warned that without clear rules on how to respond to system failures, the country risked confusion similar to what was seen in the previous election.
“During the last election, the Electoral Commission provided a manual fallback option. For 2026, how will it be handled?” he asked.
Bugiri Municipality MP Asuman Basalirwa added that procurement of biometric equipment was already underway, yet key stakeholders remained uninformed.
“Machines are being procured but stakeholders are not aware,” he said.
Speaker Anita Among, who chaired the session, directed the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs to present a formal statement on the status of the regulations, noting the urgency with elections just weeks away.
Parliament now awaits the minister’s update as concerns mount over transparency, preparedness, and management of biometric voting in the upcoming polls.