Egesa Ronald. Photo/X
Political strategist Egesa Ronald has sharply criticised Uganda’s ongoing Thursday election, describing it as an “expensive joke” following the reported failure of the Biometric Voter Verification System (BVVS) in several polling stations.
In a statement posted on X, Egesa said the election had been reduced to a façade after biometric kits procured at a cost of about $60 million allegedly malfunctioned in roughly five per cent of polling stations.
He claimed the failures forced election officials to abandon electronic verification and revert to manual voter identification, raising questions about preparedness and accountability.
Egesa argued that in a “serious country,” officials involved in the procurement and deployment of the kits would be facing consequences, suggesting that the scale of the failure pointed to deeper governance and procurement problems.
He contrasted the situation with past regimes, asserting that similar lapses would not have gone unanswered.
The remarks add to growing criticism of the Electoral Commission, which has faced pressure from journalists, civil society groups, and opposition figures over delays, logistical challenges, and transparency concerns on polling day.
Earlier in the day, reports from different parts of the country indicated late opening of polling stations and technical glitches affecting voter verification.
The Electoral Commission has previously maintained that the BVVS was fully tested and that manual fallback procedures are предусмотрed under electoral law to ensure voting continues where technology fails.