I put my left fingerprints, it did not accept it,” Museveni told journalists after the incident. The malfunction has amplified concerns over the reliability of Uganda’s biometric voting systems, which experienced widespread delays and technical glitches, prompting authorities in several polling stations to revert to manual voting. The polls began early morning, where the BBC observed growing frustration among voters queuing at some polling stations in the capital, Kampala, where voting had yet to start. Speaking to journalists on Thursday, as published by the BBC, electoral chief Simon Byabakama ordered the use of the national voters' register where biometric machines failed to function. "Polling stations will remain open until all registered voters in the queue by 4 pm have cast their votes," Byabakama stated.

Source: The Star January 15, 2026 17:24 UTC