By CHIMPREPORTS
The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) has clarified that the upcoming national census, scheduled for the night of May 9–10, 2024, aims to collect data for government planning and effective service delivery, not for taxation. UBOS Executive Director Chris Mukiza emphasized during a press conference on Thursday that the data collected is solely for planning purposes and will not be used for taxation.
Mukiza addressed concerns, especially among rural dwellers, regarding the objectives of the national census. He assured the public that personal information would not be revealed to anyone and urged the population to understand that the primary goal is government planning.
The official commencement of the census on May 10 has been declared a Census Public Holiday by the Cabinet to facilitate easy recall of Census Night, which falls on the night of May 9/10, 2024, serving as the reference point for all census-related inquiries.
Since 2021, UBOS has been conducting pre-enumeration activities outlined in the National Population and Housing Census (NPHC 2024) Master Plan. This includes the launch of the census by the President, geo-mapping of households, and enumeration of area boundaries, with a completion rate of 90.3%. Digital maps and necessary materials, such as tablets for field staff, are also being procured.
Mukiza reported that mapping for 50 districts has been completed, with 100% clean data, and emphasized the need for district leaders to ensure that villages are 100% mapped to avoid leaving any households behind in the national census.
To ensure the success of the census, UBOS will initiate an e-recruitment process for supervisors and enumerators at various administrative levels. Comprehensive training is scheduled for April before deployment in May. The bureau has identified suppliers for tablets to facilitate the digital census, with the first batch expected in mid-March 2024 and the last batch in early April 2024.
Mukiza emphasized that the census is non-political and denounced attempts at politicization.
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