Skip to document content Skip to main menu Skip to search

Electoral Commission (Adoption and Manner of Use of Biometric Voter Verification System) Regulations, 2025

Statutory Instrument 98 of 2025

Electoral Commission (Adoption and Manner of Use of Biometric Voter Verification System) Regulations, 2025
This is the latest version of this Statutory Instrument.
Citation
Statutory Instrument 98 of 2025
Primary work
Electoral Commission Act
Date
24 December 2025
Language
English
Publication
Download PDF (242.3 KB)
Related documents
Skip to document content
Uganda
Electoral Commission Act

Electoral Commission (Adoption and Manner of Use of Biometric Voter Verification System) Regulations, 2025

Statutory Instrument 98 of 2025

[Under section 12 (2), (4) and (5) of the Electoral Commission Act, Cap. 176]IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred upon the Minister responsible for justice by section 12 (2), (4) and (5) of the Electoral Commission Act, and in consultation with the Commission, these Regulations are made this 24th day of December, 2025.

1. Citation

These Regulations may be cited as the Electoral Commission (Adoption and Manner of Use of Biometric Voter Verification System) Regulations, 2025.

2. Application of Regulations

These Regulations apply to presidential, parliamentary and local council elections.

3. Interpretation

In these Regulation, unless the context otherwise requires—“Act” means the Electoral Commission Act, Cap. 176;“biometric voter verification kit” means the device used to operate a biometric voter verification system;“biometric voter verification system” means a combination of hardware and software used to verify the identity of a voter against the particulars provided by the voter before voting, including facial or fingerprints recognition;“currency point” has the value assigned to it in the Schedule to these Regulations;“national identification card” means the national identification card issued by the National Identification and Registration Authority under section 69(1) of the Registration of Persons Act;“voter location slip” means a document issued by the Commission to a registered voter for the purpose of locating his or her designated polling station.

4. Use of biometric voter verification system

(1)The Commission shall use the biometric voter verification system at all polling stations for the identification and verification of voters before a presiding officer issues a ballot paper to a voter.
(2)The application of the biometric voter verification system shall be through the biometric voter verification kit deployed by the Commission at each polling station.

5. Manner of use of biometric voter verification system

(1)The procedure to be followed by the presiding officer in the use of the biometric voter verification system for voter identification and verification purposes shall be as follows—
(a)in the case of a voter with a voter location slip or national identification card—
(i)the voter shall on arrival at the polling station present the voter location slip or national identification card to the presiding officer;
(ii)the voter location slip or national identification card shall be scanned using the biometric voter verification kit for the purpose of identifying the voter;
(iii)if the particulars of the voter are displayed on the biometric voter verification kit, and the person is confirmed to be a registered voter at that polling station, the voter shall place his or her thumb or finger on the fingerprint scanner of the biometric voter verification kit to verify that he or she is a registered voter at that polling station;
(iv)where the particulars of the voter are verified and confirmed against the voters register by the biometric voter verification kit, the voter shall be issued with a ballot paper by the presiding officer; and
(v)where fingerprint verification fails under paragraph (iii), the presiding officer shall use the camera on the biometric voter verification kit to conduct a facial recognition of the voter.
(b)in the case of a voter without a voter location slip or national identification card—
(i)the voter shall on arrival at the polling station announce his or her names to the presiding officer in an audible manner;
(ii)the presiding officer shall check for the name of the voter on the voters register and, where it is confirmed that the name as announced by the voter appears on the register, the presiding officer shall enter the voter’s number in the biometric voter verification kit;
(iii)if the particulars of the voter are displayed on the biometric voter verification kit, and the person is confirmed to be a registered voter at that polling station, the voter shall place his or her thumb or finger on the fingerprint scanner of the biometric voter verification kit to verify that he or she is a registered voter at that polling station;
(iv)where the particulars of the voter are verified and confirmed against the voters register by the biometric voter verification kit, the voter shall be issued with a ballot paper by the presiding officer; and
(v)where fingerprint verification fails under paragraph (iii), the presiding officer shall use the camera on the biometric voter verification kit to conduct a facial recognition of the voter.
(2)Where a voter is identified using the biometric voter verification kit as a registered voter in a different polling station within the electoral district, the presiding officer shall refer the person to the polling station identified by the biometric voter verification kit.

6. Electronic verification of ballot paper

(1)The presiding officer shall before commencing the voting at the polling station, use the scanner on the biometric voter verification kit to read the unique code on the ballot paper for the purposes of creating an inventory of the ballot papers used at the polling station.
(2)The presiding officer shall, at the close of polls and before commencement of counting of cast votes, use the scanner on the biometric voter verification kit to read the unique code on all the cast ballot papers for the purpose of creating an inventory of the ballot papers cast at the polling station.
(3)The presiding officer shall use the camera on the biometric voter verification kit to take an image copy of the signed declaration of results form and the image copy shall be stored on the biometric voter verification kit.

7. Failure to use biometric voter verification system or biometric voter verification kit

(1)A presiding officer who fails to use the biometric voter verification system or biometric voter verification kit in accordance with these Regulations commits an offence and is liable, on conviction, to a fine not exceeding six currency points’ or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months or both.
(2)A person who unlawfully interferes with the use of the biometric voter verification system or biometric voter verification kit commits an offence and is liable, on conviction to a fine not exceeding six currency points or to imprisonment for term not exceeding three months or both.
(3)A person convicted under subregulation (1) or (2) shall not qualify to be re-engaged or appointed in the service of the Commission.

8. Amendment of S.I. No.2 of 2021

The Electoral Commission (Adoption and Manner of Use of Technology in the Management of Elections) Regulations, 2021 are amended—
(a)in regulation 2 (2) by revoking paragraph (i); and
(b)by revoking regulation 4.

Schedule (Regulation 3)

Currency point

A currency point is equivalent to twenty thousand shillings.

History of this document

24 December 2025 this version
Assented to
Commenced
▲ To the top