"Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has said Uganda would be investigating the delays and malfunctions of biometric voter verification machines that were used in the General Election, noting that when he tested a machine to cast his vote, the facial recognition feature worked. “The machines work. We are going to find out why there was a delay by people in sending the biodata... I know the people who cheat, the opposition - last time they got 2.7 million votes by cheating,” Museveni told journalists after casting his vote on Wednesday in Rwakitura. “Was this deliberate? We are going to investigate that," Museveni added. “This time, we are very alert. Although the machines have not worked everywhere, we have other measures which we are following up." When asked if he would accept defeat if the “opposition once again rises up and manipulates the exercise”, Museveni stressed, “We don’t know whether this failure was just an oversight or part of a manipulation, but we shall study all the factors.” The president also said he “voted for people who believe in patriotism.” Preliminary election results are expected to begin emerging within the next 48 hours, according to officials. Earlier, Ugandan authorities imposed a nationwide internet shutdown, saying the measure was intended to 'prevent the spread of misinformation' and to 'curb incitement to violence' during the electoral process. Museveni, 81, has been in power since 1986 and is campaigning on a platform of protecting past achievements and maintaining stability. His main challenger, Bobi Wine, a 43-year-old singer-turned-politician, has emerged as the leading opposition figure, drawing strong support from younger voters calling for political change. "