Cabinet accepts UBOS decision to postpone national census

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Cabinet has given the green light to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics – UBOS to conduct the national population and housing census rescheduled for 10 May 2024.

The Cabinet’s resolution comes a month after UBOS, last month postponed the exercise citing delays in procuring crucial equipment.

Dr. Chris Baryomunsi, the Minister of ICT, and National Guidance revealed that the logistical gaps that occasioned the delay have been cleared by the Government, a factor which prompted the Cabinet to consider and approve the statistics agency to reschedule the exercise.

Uganda conducts population censuses every after 10 years. Dr. Baryomunsi explained that to facilitate a smooth exercise, the government has declared 10 May 2024 a public holiday which shall be officially announced before the 10-day enumeration exercise.

According to Dr. Baryomunsi, the 2024 census will also be the first census since Uganda attained independence from the British Colonialists in 1962 which will be conducted digitally using smart devices for accurate data collection, analysis, and dissemination.

Census provides information on the age and sex distribution, in addition to household composition and size, all of which are vital in determining the needs of different segments of the population to influence subsequent planning and decision-making geared at social and economic transformation.

According to Dr. Chris Mukiza, the Executive Director of UBOS, over 110,000 enumerators are to be deployed in enumerable areas across 135 districts in the country. Equally, UBOS will recruit and deploy 10,900 parish supervisors to complement the work of IT experts.

Uganda’s last national housing census was carried out in 2014 which projected the country’s total population at 45 million people. Uganda will be fourth on the East African Community – EAC bloc after her neighbors; Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania to collect the forthcoming census data digitally.

The first-ever digital census will be Uganda’s six post-independence population census which will cost the government 339.6 billion Shillings. Of the amount 10 percent, about 34 billion is to be financed by the United Nations Fund for Population Activities – UNFPA.

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