Biometric Voter Verification Machines are stalling the voting process at multiple polling centres, the Electoral Commission confirms.

The machines that are supposed to ease the voting process by making quick the work of the voter register have raised the concerns of various voters some of whom are doubting their efficacy

The spokesperson of the electoral commission, Paul Bukenya has assured the public that the regulator had earlier put measures to ensure that such issues with the biometric Voter verification machines are addressed.

“When we sent these machines out, we put a supporting technical team in place to help out with any failures,” Paul Bukenya told NTV Uganda.

The machines that were unveiled on Friday 9th January cost the country UGX 82.8 Billion and were sent out to over 35,000 locations around the country. Bukenya was quick to point out that not all locations have been affected.

The machines are configured to have display information of voters in a specific area. They are also expected to provide quick confirmations of voters. However, while they were being unveiled, a few opposition agents pointed out that they were slow in providing information.

“The time it takes for one person to attain information from the machine is to long,” Dennis Wabwire, a polling agent for Joseph Kabuleta told NTV Uganda.

The Electoral Commission has, over the period leading to elections, emphasised that the machines only assist the first process of identifying a voter and that a voter whose name is not displayed but is on the register will not be turned away.

“This machines is not a substitute of the register,” EC chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama told journalists.