National Voters' Register Update Exercise Starts Tomorrow, UHRC Urges Public To Fully Participate

The Electoral commission is set to start updating the national viters' register and register all citizens who have turned 18 years and above specifically to those who are not yet registered .

The exercise starts tomorrow January 20th and will run up to February 10, 2025 between 8:00 am and 6:00pm daily including weekends.

Crispin Kaheru , the Commissioner of Uganda Human Rights Commission and Election observer had urged Ugandans to embrace the exercise by fully register and update their details during this exercise.

"This is also an opportunity for registered voters to transfer to new voting locations or verify their registration details".He said.

 However, this exercise highlights a critical need for continuous and dynamic voter registration in Uganda.

"To truly enhance electoral participation, we must amend several laws, including the Electoral Commission Act to replace the current periodic registration with year-round registration, introduce electronic or online systems, and better synchronize NIRA’s database with the Electoral Commission. Also, amendments to Article 61 of the Constitution should clarify the Commission’s role in maintaining a permanent, dynamic voter register". Kaheru advised.

" In the 2021 election, over 1.2 million first-time voters may have missed the opportunity to register due to early cutoff dates for the National Voters' Register Update. We cannot afford to let that happen again and again. Voter registration must be continuous, not episodic. We must ensure every eligible citizen has the right to participate in elections, and we will be closely monitoring this exercise to ensure maximum enfranchisement".He added.