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Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said he encountered technical difficulties while voting in Thursday’s election, as the process was disrupted by an internet shutdown and delays across the country.
Speaking to journalists after casting his ballot, Museveni said the biometric system failed to recognise his fingerprints during the verification process.
“I put my right thumbprint. The machine did not accept it. I put my left, it did not accept it,” he said, adding that the machine eventually approved his identity after facial verification, allowing him to vote.
Similar problems were reported nationwide at polling stations, where biometric machines used to verify voters’ identities malfunctioned, delaying voting in many areas.
Some observers and voters have linked the technical failures to the government’s decision to shut down internet services during the election, a decision that authorities said was aimed at preventing misinformation and unrest.
The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) ordered all licensed mobile network operators and internet service providers to stop selling and registering new SIM cards, disable outbound data roaming to One Network Area countries, and suspend public internet access in a notice dated January 13.
The suspension took effect at 6:00 p.m. local time on January 13, 2026, and will remain in place until the commission issues a restoration notice.
The UCC said the decision followed a recommendation from the Inter-Agency Security Committee.
Under the directive, operators are required to block all non-essential public internet traffic, including access to social media platforms, web browsing, video streaming, personal email services and messaging applications.
The suspension applies to mobile broadband, fibre-optic networks, leased lines, fixed wireless access, microwave radio links, and satellite internet services.
