The Electoral Commission (EC) has appeared before Parliament’s Budget Committee seeking an additional Shs2.4 billion to publish 15,256 new polling stations in the Gazette and local newspapers ahead of upcoming elections.
The request was presented by EC Executive Secretary Richard Baabo Kamugisha before the committee chaired by Patrick Isaigi.
Kamugisha said the new polling stations are in addition to the current 50,739, created to reduce voter congestion and ensure smooth verification using the Biometric Voter Verification System (BVVK).
“In order to ensure that voters are able to poll between 7am and 4pm, using mandatory biometric verification, we have split polling stations so that no station has more than 600 voters,” he explained.
He further noted that UGX 1.2 billion of the requested funds would cover publication in local newspapers, as legally required, while the remaining would go toward gazetting the new polling stations.
The commission also highlighted that the BVVK acquisition, costing Shs268.38 billion, is the most expensive item in the supplementary budget due to enhanced features of the technology.
During the session, MPs raised concerns about the effectiveness of advertising in newspapers, particularly for rural voters.
“Our rural voters do not have access to some of these publications,” said Agnes Apea, Amolatar Women representative.
Ssemujju Nganda, Kira Municipality MP, criticized the EC for allegedly not using mainstream media. Kamugisha denied the claim, stating: “We are not only advertising in the New Vision; we are also advertising online, on radio, and posting notices at every district office across the country.”
The committee is expected to review the supplementary budget request before approval, ensuring that the EC is equipped to manage voter registration, polling, and verification ahead of the elections.
