The presidential candidate of the Common Man’s Party, Mubarak Munyagwa, has raised fresh concerns over Uganda’s new biometric voter verification system ahead of the January 15, 2026 General Election, warning that the technology could be used to disenfranchise voters in areas with poor electricity and unstable internet coverage.
His remarks come weeks after a consignment of 60,000 biometric voter verification machines arrived in the country in October, a major step in the Electoral Commission’s preparations for the 2026 polls.
Justice Simon Byabakama, the Electoral Commission chairperson who led officials to receive the equipment, said the new kits will verify voters using fingerprints and facial recognition, particularly for those whose fingerprints cannot be captured.
The machines are part of 109,142 units procured from Simi Valley Company.
Justice Byabakama emphasized that each polling station will receive two machines to enhance credibility and avoid disruptions similar to those experienced in 2016 and 2021.
‘The new devices are designed to function efficiently even under difficult conditions. We are going to embark on extensive training and voter education to ensure both polling officials and the public understand how the kit works,’ he said.
But Munyagwa, speaking on the sidelines of his presidential campaign rally in Kawempe South, openly questioned the reliability of the system, saying large parts of the country are off the electricity grid and lack dependable network coverage.
‘You can’t say that you will use biometric machine that require a stable internet network on a polling day. Do you have that stable internet network? Some of them need to be charged frequently,’ he said.
He warned that the technology could give authorities an excuse to lock out voters in opposition-leaning areas.
‘There are some parts of the country that are on the grid, they will rely on the excuse of network to de-enfranchise voters from some parts of this country,’ he explained.
Munyagwa has offered to rally six fellow opposition presidential candidates to reject the system unless guarantees are provided.
‘On Monday l will call upon my colleagues that on this one, we should have a unified voice. It is in the interest of the entire opposition, we should come out and say no on how the electoral commission is handling the entire process,’ he said.
Uganda first deployed biometric verification technology in the 2021 General Election, but the process was marred by technical and logistical failures.
Many machines failed to start or froze during voting, forcing presiding officers to revert to manual verification.
In some rural districts, polling opened late because devices could not connect to the network or recognise fingerprints.
The Electoral Commission attributed the failures to a nationwide internet shutdown ordered for ‘security reasons.’