New market entrant delivers 60K biometric voter verification devices to Uganda

Ugandan authorities have received 60,000 biometric voter verification devices to be used for general elections in the country early next year. The devices, which arrived amid fanfare, are supplied by local firm Simi Valley Technologies, and appear to represent its first foray into providing biometric hardware.

According to local media Daily Star, the Electoral Commission (EC) Chairperson Byabakama Mugenyi Simon was at the helm of a delegation that received the devices at the Entebbe International Airport on October 27.

Uganda is set to hold a presidential election on January 15 as well as parliamentary and local government elections scheduled for February.

“These kits are a very important factor in ensuring that we have credible, peaceful, free, and fair elections, because they will be utilized to verify and identify all eligible voters at every polling station,” the EC boss told NTV at the airport.

“This is the first consignment we have received today, and I would like to commend the contractor, Simi Valley, for delivering on time as promised. We are confident that the remaining 40,000-plus kits will also arrive in the country by the end of November, as scheduled,” he added.

Monitor reports that a total of 109,142 units of the election gear are expected to be delivered to the EC.

Byabakama also stated that the devices will play a major role in preventing ballot stuffing. “It will be purely and specifically one man, one vote. These biometric kits are not the same as those used in 2016 and 2021. They have additional features that will further improve the credibility of the entire process,” he disclosed. Smartmatic supplied the devices used in the 2021 election.

“I want to thank every Ugandan and to thank the government for undertaking and ensuring that we receive these kits in time. Remember, we shall continue communicating to the people of Uganda about how these kits are going to work.” The kits will be used for fingerprints and face biometrics verification.

The supply of the equipment is in line with the directive of incumbent President Yoweri Museveni that a biometric verification system be used in the upcoming election in order to eliminate electoral fraud witnessed in the past. The EC hopes the new gear will enhance efficiency and the credibility of the election.

Procurement controversies

Last year, the EC decided to redo a tender for the devices after concerns about irregularities with the previous process. But even with the new tender which led to the contract being awarded to local firm Simi Valley Technologies, an investigative report in August alleged major irregularities with the process. The profile of the firm and its ability to handled the estimated $80 million project were put to question.

It is also reported that Simi is part of a Chinese electronics company, ENGO Holdings, and that it also supplied solar-powered tablets for Uganda’s 2024 population census. Simi offers mobile phone assembly services and is producer of other digital devices at its plant opened in Uganda in 2019. The arm of the business associated with the biometric voter verification devices appears to have been registered just a year ago.

The move to buy new voter verification gear came after the EC’s request to borrow devices from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) and the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) was turned down.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometrics  |  elections  |  fraud prevention  |  Simi Valley Technologies  |  Uganda