Move Over Bulky Ballot Boxes and Long Queues - The Era of E-Democracy is Here.

Byline: Esmond Shahonya

Uganda was among 17 African countries going to the polls this year. In all these states, the mere mention of electronic voting sparks a debate that portrays Africa as not being ready for digitalised elections.

The Electoral Commission of Uganda tried biometric registration in a bid to reduce fraud. Uganda also used ICT in transmitting the results from the district returning officers to the national tallying centre. This is the kind of system that was used in Kenya during the referendum and by-elections with credible success.

But the hard nut to crack in most African elections lies in digitalising the whole processes involved so as to …