Uganda’s Electoral Commission Seeks Nearly Half a Trillion Shillings for 2026 Polls
Uganda’s Electoral Commission (EC) has requested a supplementary budget of approximately 502.5 billion Shillings to organize the January 2026 general elections, with a significant portion earmarked for new biometric technology.
The request was presented by Richard Kamugisha, the Acting Secretary to the Commission, before Parliament’s Budget Committee. He clarified that if a previously allocated 53.8 billion Shillings for the Biometric Voter Verification System (BVVK) is secured, the new request would reduce to about 448.6 billion Shillings.
Major Cost Drivers
The bulk of the funding is driven by two major technological upgrades:
· Biometric Voter Verification System (BVVK): 268.4 billion Shillings for systems with enhanced features for use on polling day.
· Deduplication System: 19.6 billion Shillings to identify and remove multiple entries of the same individual from the voters’ register.
Another significant expense is the planned splitting of polling stations, which will increase their number from 38,315 to 53,571. This change creates several associated costs, including:
· Gazetting and publishing the new stations (3.6 billion Shillings).
· Payment and welfare for the additional polling officials (over 76.6 billion Shillings combined).
· Printing more copies of the National Voters Register and handbooks.
Other Key Budget Items
The Commission also budgeted 6.3 billion Shillings for an enhanced Electronic Results Transmission Dissemination System (ERTDS), which will be integrated with the new biometric system.
Total and Context
The total supplementary request, as detailed in the Commission’s schedule, amounts to UGX 502,460,749,453. The Commission notes this figure is based on the assumption that the separate 53.87 billion Shillings for the BVVK has not been secured. If that amount is available, the net new request would be UGX 448,586,401,032.
The request underscores the substantial logistical and technological preparations deemed necessary by the EC for the upcoming nationwide elections. Parliament’s Budget Committee is now tasked with scrutinizing this sizable funding requirement.
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