By The government has formally adopted new regulations making the use of a biometric voter verification system mandatory at all polling stations during presidential, parliamentary, and local council elections.
The regulations, titled The Electoral Commission (Adoption and Manner of Use of Biometric Voter Verification System) Regulations, 2025, were issued under Statutory Instrument No. 98 and published in the Uganda Gazette on December 24, 2025.
The regulations require the Electoral Commission to deploy biometric voter verification kits at every polling station to identify and verify voters before a ballot paper is issued. The system uses fingerprint and facial recognition technology to confirm a voter’s identity against the voters’ register.
Under the new rules, voters are required to present either a voter location slip or a national identification card upon arrival at the polling station. The document is scanned using the biometric voter verification kit, after which the voter must place a thumb or finger on the fingerprint scanner to verify their identity.
Where fingerprint verification fails, presiding officers are required to use facial recognition through the kit’s camera to confirm the voter’s identity.
For voters without a voter location slip or national identification card, the regulations provide that the voter shall audibly announce their name to the presiding officer, who will verify the details against the voters’ register before biometric verification is conducted.
The regulations further require presiding officers to electronically verify ballot papers by scanning unique codes on the ballots before voting begins and again at the close of polls. The system will also be used to capture and store image copies of signed declaration of results forms.
The law introduces penalties for failure to comply. A presiding officer who fails to use the biometric voter verification system in accordance with the regulations commits an offence and, upon conviction, is liable to a fine not exceeding six currency points—equivalent to Shs120,000—or imprisonment for up to three months, or both.
Any person who unlawfully interferes with the biometric voter verification system or kit also commits an offence and faces similar penalties. Persons convicted under the regulations will be disqualified from future engagement or appointment in the service of the Electoral Commission.
The new regulations amend the Electoral Commission (Adoption and Manner of Use of Technology in the Management of Elections) Regulations, 2021 by revoking provisions related to earlier technology arrangements.
The regulations were made by the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Norbert Mao, in consultation with the Electoral Commission, under sections 12 (2), (4), and (5) of the Electoral Commission Act.
