By Leonard Akida Kamugisha
KAMPALA
Democratic Front (DF) president Mathias Mpuuga has called for criminal investigations into officials he says are responsible for the malfunctioning Biometric Voter Verification Kits (BVVKs) during last week’s presidential and parliamentary elections.
Speaking to journalists at DF Headquarters in Namirembe, Rubaga Division, Kampala on Monday, Mpuuga said the DF was gravely concerned by what he described as the Electoral Commission’s (EC) irresponsibility, arguing that the widespread failure of the voter verification devices rendered the electoral process incredible and unverifiable.
The BVVKs were deployed nationwide to authenticate voters using fingerprints and facial recognition, with the aim of enhancing transparency and preventing multiple voting. However, on polling day, the machines reportedly failed at many polling stations, forcing officials to revert to manual voter registers.
In some areas, voting started late, with delays of up to five hours reported. The EC chairperson, Justice Simon Byabakama, later extended polling time by one hour in response to the disruptions.
Mpuuga questioned the procurement and technical preparedness of the kits, which he said cost taxpayers more than sh150b. He demanded clarity on whether the machines were legally and transparently procured, how suppliers were selected, whether due diligence and technical evaluations were conducted, and whether adequate training and testing were undertaken before polling day.
“For a process that cost the taxpayer over sh150b to dismally fail, where is criminal liability for those who participated in the expenditure to procure air?” Mpuuga said.
The BVVK failures contributed to long queues and delays at polling stations, particularly in urban areas such as Kampala and Wakiso, where voters waited for hours before voting commenced.
Following the failures, the EC instructed presiding officers to use the manual National Voters’ Register wherever the technology failed.
Meanwhile, speaking at a thanksgiving service in Rwakitura, President Yoweri Museveni pledged that investigations would be conducted into officials responsible for the faulty biometric kits.
