Electoral Commission dismisses Bobi Wine’s claims of irregularities in national voters register

KAMPALA; The Electoral Commission (EC) has dismissed claims by National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu that the National Voters Register contains irregularities, describing the allegations as false and misleading.

In a statement issued on December 28, 2025, EC Chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama Mugenyi said the Commission had reviewed voter location slips cited by Kyagulanyi as evidence of multiple registration and established that they belonged to two different individuals.

Justice Byabakama explained that while the two voters share similar names and dates of birth, they are registered in different electoral areas and are distinguishable through biometric photographs captured during registration.

“The claims suggesting that the same person was deliberately registered at different polling stations are false and misleading,” Justice Byabakama said.

Kyagulanyi based his claims on two Voter Location Slips bearing the name Matovu Ronald and similar dates of birth.However, the Commission said it had reviewed the documents and established that they belon to two different individuals registered in separate electoral areas.

However, the EC said its internal review confirmed that the slips belonged to two distinct voters and rejected the allegation in its entirety.

The Commission also denied claims that it had failed or refused to provide presidential candidates with the final National Voters Register.

Justice Byabakama said soft copies of the register were issued to all nominated presidential candidates immediately after nominations in September 2025, in accordance with the law. He added that hard copies would be distributed within the legally prescribed timeframe before polling day.

To further reassure the public, the Commission highlighted improvements made to the Biometric Voter Verification System which verifies voters using finger prints or facial recognition that without successful biometric verification, no voter can be allowed to vote, reinforcing the principle of one person, one vote.

The EC urged candidates and political parties to use established official channels to seek clarification and raise concerns, reaffirming its commitment to conducting a transparent, free, and credible 2026 general election.

The National Voters Register remains a central pillar of Uganda’s electoral process. By late November 2025, the Electoral Commission confirmed that Uganda had 21,681,491 registered voters.

NUP has repeatedly alleged that the register is inflated with ghost voters or duplicate entries, claims the Commission has consistently denied.