Electoral Commission chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama (centre) with NIRA officials Fahad Omar Kateregga and Nakibirige Kasule at the official launch of the update of the national voter’s register at Kamwokya Market in Kampala on January 20, 2025. PHOTO/DAVID LUBOWA
Day One of the general update of the national voters’ register was marred by low turnout, lack of machines and sensitisation, which saw some voters flock to various registration centres to renew and acquire National Identity Cards.
The Electoral Commission (EC), which is mandated under Article 61 of the Constitution to conduct elections, yesterday started the 22-day exercise which ends on February 10.
The EC chairperson, Justice Simon Byabakama Mugenyi, said the exercise is to give an opportunity to first-time Ugandan voters of 18 years and above to turnout at the various registration centres across the country and apply to register as voters.
“We are also giving opportunity to those who want to transfer their voting location from the previous polling sta-
tion where they voted from in 2021 to a new location where they are currently staying or where they come from,” Jus-
tice Byabakama said at the launch of the exercise in Kampala yesterday.
However, low turnout marred the exercise in some parts of Kampala, including Kawempe Division, where Mr John Baptist Kola, a resident of Kyebando Parish, turned up seeking to have his National Identity Card renewed, which is the mandate of NIRA, and was turned down by EC officials.
“What brought me here is to renew my ID because it is yet to expire and I get a new one, but was informed that
they were only updating the voters’register,” Mr Kola said.
The Kyebando Parish Election Officer, Ms Patricia Katushabe, said there was a “miscommunication” as many people
thronged polling stations for national identity card issues but were advised to go to NIRA offices.
At Rubaga Division, by 8am, EC officials had already set up their workstations, but by 11am, a few individuals had turned up.
“By 9am, we were ready and waiting to serve the public, but so far, we haven’t registered a single person,” Mr Moses Kintutu, one of the enrolment officers stationed at Victor Church, said.
He added: “The turnout is disappointing and perhaps the timing of the exercise is also a factor. Ugandans have a tendency of handling things at the last minute. Nevertheless, we will be here until the weekend to serve those who come.”
Electoral Commission officials interact with various voters at Kamwokya Market in Kampala shortly after the official launch of the national voters' register update on January 20, 2025 ahead of the 2026 General Election. PHOTO/DAVID LUBOWA
In some parishes such as Nalukolongo, Mutundwe, Wakaliga, Lungujja Central, and Ndeeba, many first-time voters who have turned 18 years old were seen leaving the venues disappointed.
Eastern
At the Independence Gardens in Soroti City, which has more than five polling stations, the voter update points lacked the required gadgets, which saw the few people who turned up being turned away.
By the time of filing this story, the area supervisor, who only identified himself as Otai, said the machines and update officer had not arrived, but added that it was too early to dash people’s expectations.
The Teso Regional Election Officer, Mr Idd Kahwa, however, said the voters’ update exercise was being done at parish and ward levels, not at polling stations.
“We expect the turnout on day one and two to be lukewarm, but we shall keep the mobilisation on the days the voter
update will last using megaphones and radio talk shows,” Mr Kahwa said.
The Central Ward LC1 chairpersons said they had to turn away “a few people” who had reported for the exercise as they waited for the EC to deliver the needed kits.
Mr Maxwell Okello, a voter at the Independence Gardens in Soroti City, appealed to the EC to extend the exercise for two months.“This exercise is of great importance and the 21 days allocated are not enough; we should learn from past experiences. This exercise needs two months.”
At Agola Primary School Polling Station in Rubongi Sub-county, Tororo District, only 15 voters had turned up by midday, with the area supervisor, Mr Jude Onyango, saying the majority of the voters lacked knowledge about the exercise.
The Rubongi Sub-county chief, Ms Topista Awori, said she has written to LC1 chairpersons to mobilise locals in their
respective areas to turn up for the exercise.
“We know the EC has been running announcements mostly through local radio stations, but not everyone has access
to a radio set, and it is the reason my office has written to LC1 chairpersons to mobilise their people,” she said.
At North Road Primary School in Mbale City, only a handful of voters had turned up by 1pm, with officials in charge declining to be interviewed.
However, Mr Paul Woniala, a voter, said he was among the first three voters and had not seen anyone else by the time of filing this story.
At Kakindu Stadium, which is one of the designated venues for the exercise in Jinja City, the update officer, Mr Mark Gulume, said he only had forms but was yet to receive the computers and cameras by midday.
For that reason, he said he was registering whoever turned up using the forms, and attributed the low turnout to inadequate sensitisation.
The Jinja District Election Administrator, Ms Assey Nekesa, confirmed that awareness about the exercise was not enough and noted that all the 28 polling stations in the city opened on the first day without any interference. Western
At Central Division, one of the gazetted places in Masindi Municipality, the turn-out was so low that by midday, only 43 people had turned up, according to Mr Livingstone Mukasa who supervised the exercise.
He was, however, optimistic that the number would increase in subsequent days because they are telling people to come and verify their details.
Mr Mukasa Isingoma, a supervisor officer at Karujubu Division in Masindi Municipality, said the turnout yesterday was promising but some of the names of those who turned up had issues with spelling, which caused delays.
In Kabale Municipality, just like in Soroti City, the exercise started on a low note as EC registers were missing at some stations, while others did not receive kits for the exercise.
“We were ready by 9am with our kits to start but lack of voter registers from the EC office has interfered with our work. We have been able to work on about 10 people that were seeking to transfer to another polling station,” said Ms Mellan Kobusingye, the update officer for Butobere Ward in Kabale Municipality.
The EC supervisor for Kabale Central Division in Kabale Municipality, Ms Charity Tumuhimbise, said plans to deliver the registers were being made, and asked the voters to be patient.
“I have just inquired from our district EC office and was told that plans are underway to deliver them. The voters should be patient,” Ms Tumuhimbise said.
The Kabale District Assistant EC Returning Officer, Mr Ronald Niwamanya, said the exercise was going well in other areas although three stations out of 30 update stations in the district had not received kits.
At the Mbarara EC office, by 11am, those supposed to conduct the exercise were still waiting for the materials, and even when they arrived after midday, the turnout remained low. At Mbarara South Division headquarters in Kakoba, the EC team was found without any voters who had turned up for the exercise.
Mr Erick Williams Ganaffa, the chairperson of Katete Central Cell in Kakoba, Mbarara City South Division, said they had done some mobilisation but those supposed to conduct the exercise were delayed.
In Ntungamo, the District EC Registrar, Mr Latif Ngonzi, said the equipment to be used was not enough.
“People turning up are few, but we hope the numbers will grow with time during the exercise,” he said.
Central
The turnout at most gazetted centres across Mpigi District was still low as many people went on with their businesses.
Ms Aisha Lubega, the deputy EC chairperson, who was monitoring the exercise in Greater Mpigi, said despite the slow start, the turnout is expected to pick up in the subsequent days.
“There have been a few hiccups here and there, but the exercise has started well in most of the areas I have visited,” she said.
In urban centres in Luweero District, the exercise was slow while residents from the rural areas turned up in big numbers.
In Wobulenzi Town Council, the LC3 chairperson, Mr Moses Ssebalamu, attributed the low turnout to the limited sensitisation and busy schedule of most of the urban dwellers.
In the island district of Kalangala, Mr Joseph Lubega, the chairperson of Mweena Village in Kalangala Town Council, said the exercise is expected to kick off on Tuesday (today) at some centres following a delay in distributing the kits.
“We have been told that the register is yet to be brought to Kalangala and are more likely to start the exercise tomorrow (today). Little sensitisation was done and Kalangala, being a hard-to-reach area, needs more mobilisation to ensure a smooth exercise,” he said.
Mr Ronald Agaba, the Kalangala District returning officer, said in situations where a sub-country has three parishes, the kit will rotate in all three parishes during the 21 days of the exercise.
“But our officers will be available at the parish every day for purposes of transfer and checking the register,” he added.
Mr Apollo Musinguzi, the regional elections officer for Greater Masaka, Greater Mpigi and Greater Mubende, said they encountered a “technical problem” which affected the distribution of materials on time, specifically in Masaka City, which prompted them to commence the exercise at 1pm.
By 3pm at Kimaanya-Kabonera Division headquarters station, only Mr Patrick Ssenvuma had reported to transfer his particulars from Lwengo to Masaka City. However, residents who wanted to check their names on the register were turned away because the register was yet to be delivered.
In Mukono, the District Returning Officer, Mark Muganzi Mayanja, encouraged local leaders to mobilise their residents to take part in the exercise.
In Wakiso, some residents raised concern over the use of smartphones during this exercise, saying they don’t trust them because the information can easily be altered.
But Mr Tolbert Musinguzi, the Wakiso District returning officer, said in case a name misses on the electronic voter’s register, there is an alternative of a hardcopy to ease the exercise.
Residents are seen stranded at a polling station in Makindye Division on January 20, 2025 after an EC official informed residents that the voters' registers would be availed the next day. PHOTO/GEOFREY MUTUMBA
Dr Simba Sallie Kayunga, the commissioner for Kampala Region, which covers Wakiso, Kampala, Mukono, Kayunga, Buikwe and Buvuma, said he had noted “a few challenges” with the exercise, which will be addressed by the Commission.
Northern
In Amuru District, delays were experienced in three of the 10 centres where the verification exercise is taking place, according to Ms Getrude Ajwang, the district election administrator.
Ms Ajwang said their technical personnel were working to fix the computers in Pabbo, Amuru and Otwee towns, adding that during the update, they are assigning polling stations to students who previously registered from their schools but were ineligible to vote in the past election.
“The exercise started quite well, and the turnout is great; we are assigning polling stations to young voters who have turned 18 but had previously registered with NIRA,” said Ms Ajwang.
*Compiled by Philip Wafula, Abubaker Kirunda, Ronald Seebe, Joseph Omollo, Fred Wambede, Ismail Bategeka, Robert Muhereza, Julius Byamukama, Jovita Kyarisiima, Rajab Mukombozi, Perez Rumanzi, Felix Ainebyoona, Clement Aluma, Al Mahdi Ssenkabirwa, David Sekayinga, Dan Wandera, Antonio Kalyango, Noeline Nabukenya, Priscilla Maloba, Brian A Kesiime, Tobbias Jolly Owiny, Karim Muyobo, Shabibah Nakirigya & Tausi Nakato
