Polling stations opened at 07:00 local time (04:00GMT)

Ugandans have started voting this morning in the presidential and parliamentary elections, amidst increasing tension and a complete shutdown of the internet in the country.

Polling stations have opened across Uganda and witnessed hundreds of people queuing to cast their vote.

Journalists in Uganda have been posting pictures and videos of queues at polling stations in the capital, Kampala, and across the country.

It reportedly that polls opened at 7 AM local time and are scheduled to close at 4 AM.

However, journalist reported delays in the delivery of voting materials in some polling station in Uganda.

The election commission said earlier all registered votes who will be in the queue by closing time will be allowed to cast their ballots.

President Yoweri Museveni voted in his rural home in Western Uganda.

While the opposition presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has voted.

He was welcomed at the Magere Freedom Square polling station by his supporters.

Mr Kyagulanyi was accompanied by his wife Barbie.

The government has ordered a block on all social media. But some journalist have managed to get round the ban.

Some biometric machines fail to work

Biometric voter verification kits have failed to work in a number of polling stations visited by the BBC in Uganda.

Electoral Commission’s spokesperson, Paul Bukenya, said they had received reports that some of the kits had malfunctioned.

The electronic devices are used to capture and verify details of voters before they can be issued with ballot papers.

Long queues were spotted in most polling stations visited by the BBC, although there were delays in delivery of voting materials at some stations.

Voting was expected to begin at 07:00 across the country.

In Nansana municipality, voting materials did not arrive until 10:00 local time (07:00GMT). Some voters had started getting impatient and hurled insults at electoral officials.

In Masaka city, south of the capital, Kampala, reports say that polling materials were delivered at around 07:30.

There is only ordinary police presence and no heavy military deployment so far in places the BBC visited.