Museveni orders probe into BVV machines chaos as he takes early lead

________________

President Yoweri Museveni of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) has taken an early lead, putting himself on track to retain the presidency in the 2026 general elections.

According to the provisional figures the Electoral Commission (EC) released from 133 polling stations at 10:49pm yesterday, Museveni was leading with 14,232 votes, representing 61.7% of the valid votes cast.

He was followed by Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu of the National Unity Platform (NUP), who had obtained 7,753 votes, accounting for 33.64% of the valid votes counted.

James Nathan Nandala Mafabi of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) had 560 votes (2.43%), Gregory Mugisha Muntu of the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) had 164 votes (0.71%), the Common Man’s Party (CMP) had 145 votes (0.63%).

Frank Kabinga Bulira of the Revolutionary People’s Party (RPP) had 84 votes (0.36%), Robert Kasibante of the National Progressive Party (NPP) had 66 votes (0.29%), and Joseph Elton Mabirizi of the Conservative Party had 45 votes (0.2%).

Addressing the media at the national tally centre, the EC chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama, said the results so far had been received and verified from 133 polling stations, representing 0.26% of the country’s 50,739 polling stations.

The country has a total of 21,649,067 registered voters on the national voters’ register.

Justice Byabakama said the total number of valid votes counted so far stands at 23,049, while invalid votes are 796, representing 3.34% of the votes cast. He also reported 37 spoiled votes.

“These are preliminary results from a very small number of polling stations, and tallying is still ongoing,” Byabakama said, adding that the commission would continue to release updates as more results are received and verified from across the country. He urged the public to remain calm and patient as the national tallying process continues.

Museveni orders probe

Museveni has ordered the probe into the failure of the Biometric Voter Verification (BVV) machines aimed at identifying voters before they cast their vote to eradicate multiple voting.

Addressing the media shortly after voting at Kaaro polling station in Rwakitura, Kiruhura district, Museveni, who is also the National Resistance Movement (NRM) presidential candidate, blamed EC for failing to use the machines in yesterday’s election by failing to send the biodata to the machine operators.

“This morning, I got up early at 6:30am and I rang Richard Todwong (NRM Secretary General). He was in Nwoya district checking on my agents. He said many of my agents had arrived, but we now had a problem with the machines. Then I checked with Sheeba Kobutungi (head of the Science Unit at State House). She said the machines had no problem, but some people in EC were delayed in bringing the biodata, so that it could be entered into the machine. That machine can only be operated by somebody to whom it has been allocated. He is the only one who can open it,” Museveni explained.

The President said ‘somebody’ at EC delayed sending the photos and entered the users’ biodata into the machines.

Museveni then asked the area returning officer, Ale Komuhangi, to explain how the machine operators were recruited.

The returning officer informed the President that “the polling officials were recruited on December 22, 2025. We took them through the recruitment process, until January 2, 2026, when we started the training. We trained them for five days consecutively. As of January 14, 2026, we were still training them as refreshers to remind them in case they forgot, because they were dealing with a machine. We took them through it and they were ready to work.”

Museveni asked the official to explain how the machine was supposed to work.

Komuhangi stated: “First of all, it is used by two officers: The operator and the presiding officer. For the BVV machine to work, you must assign it before it. You take their particulars, including the national Identity Card (ID), National Identification Number (NIN) and their biodata. We submitted at the district level to the EC headquarters and they assigned them. That is why they can use the machine.”

The President revealed that some people at EC did not send the particulars of the operators to the machines.

“I checked and they are saying that some of them, even by this morning, had not sent their biodata and some were sending by 9:00am. Was this deliberate? We are going to check that. When I started checking between 8:00am and 9:00am, some people started ringing me, telling me that the machines were working and in a few places, they were not working. So, the EC proposed that they use the register to check voters’ names and I had to support it because people had gathered from 7:00am. It was not correct for people to just go home. We are going to find out why there was a delay by some people to send the biodata to the machines,” Museveni stated.

The President, who voted at around 11:30am, congratulated Ugandans for getting up early yesterday to vote.

“I was following and by 5:00am, people were up. Now they had a problem with the BVV machines. First of all, the machine did not accept my fingerprints because when they took them, they had a different angle. But when they put my face, the machine recognised me,” Museveni said.

Byabakama speaks out

EC chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama yesterday acknowledged the failure of the BVV machines at many polling stations, saying the matter was being investigated.

“We made every effort. The machines were dispatched and deployed to polling stations. However, for technical reasons that we are still verifying, they did not function as expected in many areas,” he said.

The failures, he noted, were not isolated to Kampala or specific locations, but were reported across the country, including Karamoja, Eastern, western, northern and southern Uganda.

Despite the setback, Byabakama emphasised that the commission’s overriding priority was to prevent voter disenfranchisement and directed that in places where the machines failed, the register should be used.

“Our major focus as a commission is to ensure that Ugandans are not denied their right to vote. We cannot put the people’s choice on hold simply because of challenges with machines,” he said.

The EC boss explained that while biometric verification was an important tool for voter identification, it is not the sole legal mechanism for voting. The voters’ register, he stressed, remains the primary and legally recognised document for identifying voters.

“Every voter whose name appears on the voters’ register is entitled to vote. The biometric kit is meant to conclude the identification process, but the actual act of voting is done using the ballot paper,” he said.

He said voters whose names appeared on the manual register were allowed to vote, even in the absence of functioning biometric machines.

Addressing fears of potential fraud, Byabakama said safeguards were in place to prevent double voting, adding that the commission ensured that no voter returned to vote more than once.

Byabakama promised to carry out a thorough investigation into the cause of the machine failures. He, however, said that accountability would come later.

“The issue now is not the reputation of the commission or its members. The real question is whether the people of Uganda have been allowed to exercise their constitutional right to choose their leaders,” he added.

Voting extended

Due to countrywide delays, the commission extended the voting process by one hour from the mandatory 4:00pm to 5:00pm to allow those still in the queue to vote.

Byabakama said the electoral laws give the commission powers to extend the hours if need be. Voting in many areas across the country was delayed after the machines failed to work.

Reports from across the country indicate that although the machines worked in some areas, they failed in others, leaving many voters frustrated.

In Busiro South Constituency and Entebbe Municipality, both within Wakiso district, voting started as late as 11:00am due to the machines’ failure.

In some areas in Wakiso, EC delivered most of the electoral materials, but the BVV machines were left behind.

The National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate for Busiro East, Emmanuel Magoola, who voted from Kasero-Buloba Church of Uganda, blamed the EC for the delayed voting, saying EC should have quickly decided to use the register, rather than wasting all that time.

The Forum for Democratic Change flag-bearer for the MP seat, Jorren Najjemba, wondered whether the election would be free and fair.

Najjemba alleged that the delay was intentional to frustrate voters. In Kawempe Division, hundreds of voters had already gathered by 6:30am and were standing in queues at their respective polling stations, eagerly waiting to cast their votes.

As voters got more agitated, EC officials abandoned the use of the BVV machines and resorted to voter registers.

They had to wait, until around 10:00am at most polling stations to cast their vote due to the failure of the machines.

Hassan Mukiibi, a voter at Kawempe Mbogo primary school polling station, questioned EC’s readiness to preside over the elections.

“I came here at around 5:30am ready to vote and go home. However, it is already 9:30am, but there is no sign that we are soon starting. We implore the EC to ensure efficiency so that people gain confidence in it,” Mukiibi said.

In Makindye East Constituency, there was a massive turnout at all voting stations. Voters started lining up at 6:00am.

The voting process, however, was delayed due to the failure of the machines.

Judith Abaho Nuwabeine, the NRM parliamentary candidate for Makindye East, praised voters for turning up in big numbers, despite the delays occasioned by the failure of the machines.

Richard Nsaba, the election officer in charge of Ggaba, said the machines got hiccups, but they later used the manual national register.

Nsaba assured voters that, despite the machine glitches, transparency will be ensured.

Francis Mugisha, a voter, said: “We came here knowing that it would be the BVV machines to take control, but their failure has caused a lot of delay and some people even went back home.”

In Rubaga North, voters turned up early, but the mood changed at around 8:00am when a polling assistant at Young Play Ground polling station switched on the BVV machine and it failed to work.

The voters demanded to know why a second machine, which government officials had promised as a backup, was not immediately available. Although the officials said the standby machines were on the way, they did not come, until they resorted to using a manual register. The delay was also registered at most polling centres in Kampala Central division.

At Kisenyi II Parish, voters turned up as early as 7:45am, but were disappointed by the failure of the machines.

The Kampala Metropolitan Affairs Minister, Hajat Minsa Kabanda, expressed disappointment at the failure of the machines, saying the system would have made the exercise easier for voters.

“This is the only problem that we have received so far,” Kabanda said.

Not the first time

However, this was not the first time the BVV machines had failed. In 2021, the same incident happened, paralysing voting in most polling stations countrywide.

When MPs questioned their reliability, given the previous history of the machines during elections, Byabakama assured the country that these had enhanced features and they would work.

During the debate, the leader of opposition, Joel Ssenyonyi, wondered how the machines would work when they had failed in the past.

Where the machines worked

At Kireka Rehabilitation Centre polling station, the machines worked. However, after about 30 people voted, EC officials abandoned them and opted to use the register to speed up the voting process.

Ambassador Elisabeth Paula Napeyok told New Vision that the machine worked at Naligoi polling station in Napak district from where she voted.

“The BVV machine was highly efficient, with the verification process taking less than three minutes. It was incredible,” she said.

Alfred Oguti, who voted at Market Square polling station in Parombo town council within Parombo sub-county, Nebbi district, said the BVV machine functioned properly and voters were able to use it without any hindrance.

Compiled by Mary Karugaba, Charles Etukuri, Umar Kashaka, Edward Anyoli, Juliet Lukwago, Farooq Kasule, Ibrahim Ruhweza, Job Nantakiika, Lawrence Mulondo, Juliet Waiswa