France, Jan. 15 -- Polling stations were slow to open, as normal in Uganda, but voting was underway shortly after 7am local time in at least one Kampala suburb.

But in several parts of Uganda stations were still not open almost two hours after voting was due to start, AFP journalists and local sources said Thursday.

AFP reporters in several parts of the capital Kampala and the border city of Jinja said voting had yet to begin, with reports that ballot papers had not been delivered and biometric machines used to check voters' identities were not working.

There were heavy police and army patrols in the border town of Jinja, another AFP team said.

Meanwhile, despite repeated promises that it would not do so, the government shut down the ...