KAMPALA – The Electoral Commission says it has contingency measures for voters whose fingerprints or facial data cannot be verified by the Biometric Voter Verification Kit on polling day.
According to public guidance issued by Justice Simon Byabakama, the Chairperson of the commission ahead of the January 2026 elections, where fingerprints are unavailable or of poor quality, facial verification may be used instead.
He also states that alternative measures will exist if technical problems affect the BVVK, though they believe their standby experts are more than ready to handle any eventualities to ensure that the process is successful.
The Commission has stressed that no new biometric data will be collected on polling day. The BVVK only compares live data against the National Voters’ Register.
“Voters should not panic if the machine fails to read their fingerprint immediately. Polling officials are already undergoing final training to handle such cases using the procedures approved by the Commission.”
The EC has urged voters to ensure their National ID details are correct and to attend the remaining official sensitisation sessions to understand what to expect and what is expected of them.
For now, citizens with concerns are advised to contact the EC via the email address or make use of the social media platforms and to rely only on information issued through official EC publications like press releases or statements.
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