A head of the 2026 general elections the Electoral Commission (EC) has confirmed that it is using the 2014 National Census data to update the national voter register .
Justice Simon Byabakama the Electoral Commission Chairperson, told the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee that the 2024 National Census data, which was recently collected, is not suitable for the current voter register update process.
This discussion took place during a meeting with officials from the EC, the National Information Registration Authority (NIRA), and the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), after Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa directed the committee to review a statement by Deputy Attorney General Jackson Kafuuzi on the voter register update.
Byabakama clarified, “Technically and officially, the data we have is from 2014. Therefore, we have proceeded with demarcations of local governments based on this data.”
Jane Muwonge, Director of Methodology and Statistical Coordination at UBOS, added that only district-level data is available, noting that some parishes and sub-counties lack data due to ongoing boundary disputes. He assured that in five months, more complete information would be available.
Mathias Mpuuga, MP for Nyendo-Mukungwe Division, raised concerns about the reliability of the 2014 census data, questioning when the Electoral Commission would start using the 2024 census data. He also pointed out that, according to the Constitution, the EC is supposed to use each census to adjust population quotas for the country and redraw constituencies.
MPs also expressed concerns about the outdated equipment used in updating the voter register, which they believe could compromise the integrity of the final data. NIRA’s Executive Director, Rosemary Kisembo, explained that the equipment, which was procured in 2014, is now obsolete and performing sub-optimally due to age.
Fox Odoi-Oywelowo, MP for West Budama North East, urged Parliament to allocate sufficient funds to the EC to ensure a free and fair election. “It is our responsibility to fund the EC, and we have let the country down,” he said.
Medard Sseggona, MP for Busiro County East, reiterated previous calls from MPs to extend the deadline for updating the voter register, noting that the EC had already lost valuable time dealing with challenges in the process.
Byabakama responded that it is still too early to decide on extending the deadline. “We still have 11 days left to conclude the exercise, and we are analyzing the situation. We will inform the country if an extension is necessary,” he said.
The voter register update began on January 20, 2025, and is scheduled to end on February 10, 2025.
Ny Elite Daily News
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