Statement by the Chairperson, Electoral Commission on the Progress of Implementation of Activities Under the Roadmap for General Elections 2026

By Musinguzi Goodluck

The Electoral Commission has adjusted the polling dates for elections of representatives of Special Interest Groups at Parliamentary and Local Government Council level as follows:

The above adjustments have been made to enable members of the above elective categories participate in the General Elections (universal adult suffrage) and also effectively participate in their respective electoral college elections.

Please note that the polling dates for the other elective positions remain unchanged, as per the Schedule issued earlier  

Commencement of Issuance of Voter Location Slips

The Electoral Commission has commenced the exercise of issuing Voter Location Slips (VLS) to voters across the country to enable them conveniently locate their respective polling stations on polling day.

The issuance exercise commenced on 15^th December 2025, and will be concluded on 13^th January 2026.

The VLS will be issued at each Parish/Ward across the country, as per the schedule issued by the respective Parish/Ward Supervisor.

The VLS is a response by the Electoral Commission to complaints raised in the past elections, where some voters reported difficulty in locating their polling stations.

It bears the particulars of a voter, namely: photograph, names, date of birth, and location (that is, the district/city, constituency, sub county, parish and polling station).

The VLS also bears a unique barcode which will be read by the Biometric Voter Verification machines which will be deployed at all polling stations across the country.

The VLS will be used by voters at four rounds of elections during the General Elections 2026 namely:

1. Presidential/Parliamentary;
2. District/City Chairpersons and Councillors;
3. Municipality/City Division Chairpersons and Councilors; and,
4. Sub-county/Town/Municipal Division Chairpersons and Councillors elections.

I wish to emphasise that this Voter location slip (VLS) is free of charge and should only be picked by the voter in person from the Parish/Ward Supervisor who is an employee of the Commission.

The Commission calls upon all registered voters to collect their Voter Location Slips from their respective Parish Headquarters. Voters are further advised to carefully secure their Voter Location Slips, so that the barcode is not tampered with.

Please note that only a person whose particulars appear on the Polling Day Register will be issued a VLS during this issuance exercise.

Deployment of the Biometric Voter Verification Kit (BVVK) During the 2026 Elections

The Electoral Commission has acquired 109,142 Biometric Voter Verification Kits (BVVK) which will be deployed for the 2025/2026 General Elections, as a measure aimed at improving the management and conduct of elections through authentication of voter identity.

The BVVK basically uses fingerprints and facial recognition to match voter details which will help the Presiding Officer to confirm the identity of the voter as being the one on the Voters Register of that particular polling station.

The system will enable the Commission to ensure that only registered persons vote during the elections and that such persons (voters) do not vote more than once for the same election, hence it will help the Commission achieve the One-Man/Woman-One Vote principle.

The Commission is progressing with the training of the officials who will operate the kits during the elections, from the national level to the polling station level.

Today, the Electoral Commission has specifically invited you to participate in a public demonstration of the BVVK.

The purpose of this demonstration is to:

1. Sensitize stakeholders on polling day procedures and the use of the BVVS.
2. Demonstrate how voters are identified and verified using biometric and facial recognition technology.
3. Build confidence, transparency, and trust in the voter verification process.
4. Allow stakeholders to observe, participate, and ask questions on the system’s functionality.
5. Clarify safeguards in place to prevent multiple voting, impersonation, and other electoral malpractices.
6. Promote understanding of how technology enhances the credibility, integrity, and efficiency of elections.

The Commission appreciates you for accepting our invitation to participate in this public demonstration.

I now take the honour to invite the Director of Technical Support Services to lead us through a demonstration of the BVVK.