Mbarara City Registers 6,834 New Voters Amidst Technical Hiccups
As of February 9, 2025, Mbarara City has successfully registered 6,834 new voters and processed 2,489 transfer requests, according to Violet Atuhurira, the city’s returning officer.
However, the registration exercise has been marred by technical challenges, including slow computers and frequent machine malfunctions, which have caused delays in the process.
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Atuhurira explained that the equipment being used in the registration centers is outdated, contributing to the slow pace.
“The computers we are using are not new, they are a bit slow. It's better people come early,” she advised, encouraging citizens to arrive early to ensure they are processed efficiently.
She also reassured the public that with the added time, the registration could be completed on schedule.
“If people come early, with the added time, it will be enough,” Atuhurira added.
These challenges in Mbarara are part of a larger issue facing the Electoral Commission (EC) across the country, prompting the EC to extend the voter registration deadline by seven days.
The extension, which runs from February 11 to February 17, 2025, was announced in response to appeals from stakeholders and the technical issues encountered during the registration process.
Atuhurira remains hopeful that the extension will allow more eligible voters to complete their registration.
"We are expecting more people to come up," she said, noting that there had been a steady flow of people coming to the centers, despite the setbacks.
Despite the technical hiccups, Atuhurira emphasised the hard work of the registration team in Mbarara, highlighting the effort to register as many people as possible. "Despite the hiccups, as the city we have tried our level best to work on many people as we can," she stated.
She also pointed out that a higher number of people are requesting to transfer their voting locations compared to previous years. "We shall have more people who are requesting to be transferred compared to previous times," she noted.
Atuhurira called on all eligible voters to take advantage of the extended deadline, warning that no further extensions would be granted after February 17, 2025.
