The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Electoral Commission (EC) has revealed that it is using the 2014 National Census data to update the national voters’ register ahead of the 2026 general elections.
Justice Simon Byabakama, the EC Chairperson, told the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee that the recently collected 2024 National Census data is unsuitable for the ongoing update of the voter register.
The Committee was meeting the Electoral Commission (EC) officials, the National Information Registration Authority (NIRA), and the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), after the Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa tasked the committee to scrutinize a statement by the Deputy Attorney General, Jackson Kafuuzi on the update of the national voters’ register.
“Technically and officially, the data that we have is from 2014. It is, therefore, on that basis that we have proceeded to conduct the demarcations of local governments,” Byabakama said.
Jane Muwonge, the Director in charge of Methodology and Statistical Coordination at the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), explained that the only data available is at the district level, saying that some parishes and sub-counties are missing data because they have ongoing boundary disputes.
“The issue is where to place this population. We are working with the Ministry of Local Government to make sure we are guided but within five months, this information will be available,” he said.
Mathias Mpuuga, the Nyendo-Mukungwe Divison MP cast doubt on the reliability of the 2014 national census data, 12 years later.
“That for me is very informative of issues to come. May we know at what stage the Electoral Commission will make use of the recent census data,” he said adding that, ’under the Constitution, the EC is mandated after every census to determine the population quarter for the country and demarcate constituencies and now that we have an exercise, may we be informed when they will demarcate the latest constituencies’.
Legislators further expressed concern over the faulty equipment used in the ongoing update of the voter register saying that this will jeopardize the credibility of the final data.
This was after NIRA’s Executive Director, Rosemary Kisembo told the MPs that the equipment is obsolete, having been procured in 2014.
“This equipment is 11 years old; it is at the end of life and end of support. The performance of this equipment is, therefore, sub-optimal because of degradation over time,” she said.
Fox Odoi-Oywelowo, the West Budama North East County MP, challenged Parliament to appropriate adequate funds to enable the EC to deliver a free and fair election.
“I think we engaged in an enterprise of letting down the country. The buck stops with us. It is our responsibility to fund the EC. At what point did we drive them to this desperate situation and turn them into a dumping ground,” he said.
Medard Sseggona, the Busiro County East MP, reiterated earlier calls from MPs for the EC to extend the deadline for updating the national voters’ register.
“The Electoral Commission Chairman concedes that they lost some days, in which some challenges were registered. As at the time of writing his response yesterday, they were still addressing those challenges but they can still afford to say they will not extend,” said Sseggona.
Byabakama said that it is still early to decide on the extension of the exercise.
“We still have 11 days to conclude the exercise and we are still analyzing the situation. It is premature to pronounce ourselves on the deadline. We will inform the country when the need arises,” said Byabakama.
The voter register update commenced on 20 January 2025 and is expected to end on 10 February 2025.
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